Love of a Caged Bird
by Sky Rider
Summary: Neji and Tenten have grown up and their relationship has grown and changed through the years but neither of them has told the other how they feel. But when Neji is chosen for a deadly mission and Tenten is left behind, will their love survive?
1. Prologue

"Karasu, is that you?" called a gray-cloaked and hooded figure, sitting awkwardly on the ground. Her mask was of a deer, with a leaf village symbol at the top. She hoped for, more than anything, that the person to whom she was calling would hear and answer her.

A white-cloaked figure stopped in his tracks and looked around, revealing the mask of a black, beakless bird with the leaf village symbol carved on the top. Several others in black cloaks stopped and turned as well. Each of their masks were different, and all of them had their hoods up.

"Ayame!" breathed the man in the white cloak, seeing her on the ground and recognizing her mask at a glance. "Thank god! When they said that you had gone missing…"

"Don't get too friendly just yet," warned a female voice from somewhere among the black-cloaked figures. "Someone may have captured her and be using her clothes to set a trap for us."

"Remove your mask, Ayame," said an older male voice from among the black-cloaks.

The gray-cloaked woman did as she was told, taking off her mask and lowered her hood, revealing a young brown-haired woman of twenty with several small ponytails wreathing the top of her head. Her hair flowed out of them in a kind of continuous fountain, stopping only when it reached her shoulders. It was a look that her male friend, by the code name Karasu, had come to like even more than the old look of double-buns at the top of her head.

"Tenten," said the man in the white cloak.

The woman smiled, as he took off his mask and a lock of long black hair fell out of his cloak into plain sight. As he lowered his hood as well, it was plain to see that he was in his early twenties as well. Wasting no time, he immediately swept towards her, only stopping when he was kneeling on the ground and she was in his arms.

"So, you came to find me after all, Neji," said the woman in the gray cloak who went by the name of Tenten.

"I would not leave you here," he said simply.

"Karasu," said the female voice from earlier, "we should leave. If we are found here, it could be trouble. Especially since you are both currently revealed."

"In a moment, Kaze," said Neji.

As he released Tenten, he surveyed her for signs of injury, then finding none, looked straight at her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"There's something wrong with my ankle. I think I may have sprained it," she said, gesturing to her right ankle.

He looked down, gently lifting the material of her cloak away from the ankle. She flinched as he did so. He could immediately see that it was discolored and swollen. Her skin had turned a kind of bluish color around the ankle. Activating his clan's sight technique, he could see that her chakra was bouncing off of the area in an abnormal fashion, but by the way it laid, the bones seemed to be all right.

"I think you're right," he said. "How did this happen?"

"I was jumping between trees with the group and my foot got caught between branches. I was stuck and they didn't notice that I wasn't with them anymore, so they left me before I could tell them to stop and wait. So, I jumped down here with my other foot to keep out of sight of everything else until they came back to find me," said Tenten.

"This ANBU thing isn't working out in your favor, is it?" Neji said in a low voice, licking his thumb and wiping some dried blood off her cheek where a branch had brushed by and cut it.

"I suppose not," said Tenten.

"Last year it was a bunch of poison darts, the year before that, third degree burns from an exploding kunai. You never catch a break, do you? But at least, this time it wasn't an enemy ninja," said Neji.

"Yes," said Tenten. "But this time, you weren't there to rescue me immediately either. I don't like this separate divisions thing, Neji."

"You know its only temporary," he said.

She nodded, "I know, but I miss you."

Neji stared at her for a moment, not responding to her remark. Then, rising to his feet, he let out a slow sigh, "Kaze's right. Its time to go."

With that, he put his mask back on and his hood back up. Knowing that her intimate moment with Neji was over, Tenten put her mask and hood on as well. Neji reached down to her and pulled her, with some difficulty, onto his back. It would be at least two slow days of trekking back to the village, and day one was just beginning.

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**A/N:** Karasu – means "raven"

Ayame – means "iris" (type of flower)

Kaze – means "wind"

_Hope you liked it so far. More later! Bye all!_


	2. Ambush

Silence had fallen upon the group of ANBU as they made their way through the trees back to the village. It had been several hours since Neji had said a word to Tenten, causing an awkward silence to come between them, but even that could not continue.

"Karasu," said Tenten, finally breaking the silence, "wasn't your group on a mission before you found me?"

"Yes," Neji answered simply.

"So, what happened?" Tenten asked.

"We're completing it as we speak," said Neji.

"What do you mean?"

"Our mission was to find you," said Neji. His voice suddenly seemed to hold an odd note of emotion.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. He seemed to push off of a branch much harder than needed as he said this, causing Tenten to feel a slight jolt.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. We both know that something's bothering you," urged Tenten.

"Its nothing," Neji replied stubbornly. He knew where the conversation was headed and he couldn't let it go there.

"I don't believe that. Don't lie," she replied.

Neji let out a long sigh, "This is not the time…"

"Fine," Tenten said, falling silence once more.

She watched as Neji's cloak fluttered through the air, reminding her of the day they had first become ANBU. Lee had decided to stay with Gai-sensei, Neji and Tenten had decided to take a different route with their life.

Sensing a disturbance, Neji suddenly looked up to find its source. Tenten watched him intently, knowing what he was thinking by reading his body language.

"Put me down so that you can fight," she said softly.

"No," he replied sternly. Tenten couldn't put her finger on why he was acting so stubborn, but it was a quality that he had seemed to develop quite recently.

"Look alive," he called to the other cloaked ANBU. "We have a watcher."

The ANBU immediately split down the middle and went in opposite directions. Neji followed the right side of ANBU.

"Why did you go right? You were further left," said Tenten curiously.

"I didn't want to get stuck on Kaze's team," replied Neji. Tenten could almost swear that she heard a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Why? What's wrong with her?" Tenten ventured.

"She gets on my nerves," said Neji.

Tenten was taken aback. Neji, the man with infinite patience and a constant calm attitude since he turned sixteen, who almost never talking bad about anyone anymore, actually found someone that he couldn't stand. Not only that, but he actually went to lengths to avoid being around her. If Neji thought she was intolerable, she must be the biggest annoyance on the planet.

"Neji," Tenten began, changing the subject. "you never told me why they transferred you into this unit."

"They needed a temporary replacement for Ino and Choji," said Neji, trying to push the thought as far from his conscious mind as possible.

"Oh, I didn't realize that this was her group," said Tenten.

Her gaze fell down to the branches passing below her, not really seeing them. Ino, Choji, and another older shinobi that she didn't know had been killed earlier that year when their team had fallen into a deadly ambush near the sound village. In their honor, the entire ANBU squad showed up to their funeral, fully cloaked and masked. Shikamaru cried hard that day. His beautiful wife, Temari, stood at his side. She had come down from the sand village to offer her support to Shikamaru when she got word of the tragedy. While it was true that Shikamaru didn't often get to see her due to each of them belonging to their separate villages, when he did, they were inseparable. Still, Tenten began to wonder how much more he could take. First his team's teacher and now his two remaining teammates from his early teen years. If anything every happened to Temari, Tenten feared that Shikamaru may just give up.

"He's fine, Tenten," said Neji softly, knowing what was on her mind.

"How do you know?"

"I talked to him the other day between missions. He's taking it a lot better than even I expected, but it has been a few months since they were killed. Then again, Temari's been around a lot more lately too," said Neji.

"Kind of strange, isn't it? Everyone we know…they're all hooking up. Shikamaru and Temari got married, then Naruto and Hinata started getting serious, and even Sakura and Lee are giving it a try…"

"I suppose so," said Neji uncomfortably. He had been avoiding this subject for as long as he could. His heart belonged to the small woman sitting on his back, but he could never get up the courage to tell her.

"But, you were saying about your new group? Who are the ANBU in this group?" Tenten asked.

"The leader is an older, more experienced man that we call Gure-taka. I already mentioned our assistant leader, Kaze. Then there's Inakamono, the joker of the group. He always makes it a point to lighten the mood, but he's in Kaze's group. There's Maimu, the quiet, intelligent one in the group. She's with us now. There's Takai, the guy who flanks this group. Then Nouzui who's usually the one who comes up with plan 'b' if we need one. He's currently one Kaze's team. Then Nezumi is a shinobi that relies on her speed to get by. She's in Kaze's group. Then there's me. I act as their eyes," he said.

"Interesting," she said. "Back in the group I was put in, they were all named after plants. Some were flowers, some kinds of grasses, and a few were names of trees. I guess I fit right in with them. You on the other hand, were always the odd ball."

Neji smiled under his mask.

Tenten slowly changed the position of her arms so that they encircled his chest instead of his neck. Surprised by her sudden change in position, he looked back at her. Her head was resting on its side behind his shoulder as her arms held on around his chest tightly. He couldn't help but smile at this. He wished that he could take off his mask and kiss her, but he knew it was just the foolish desire in his heart talking.

It was then that he sensed something coming towards him at an alarming speed. He turned his head just as a kunai sailed past his right ear. His heart suddenly leapt into his throat as he came eye to eye with an enemy ninja. Dodging a punch, he missed the next branch and came crashing through the brush. Tenten's hands flew apart at the sudden change in rhythm. Twigs and small branches snapped as they fell. Just as she grabbed onto the back of his shirt to brace herself, he got his wits about him enough to pull Tenten from behind him into his arms just before he hit the ground. He fell on his back with a loud thud.

After they hit the ground, it was a moment before Tenten opened her eyes. She was staring straight at Neji's mask. Waiting for him to ask if she was ok, just like he always did, she waited, unmoving. He, however, never said a word. As she tried to roll off of him, she became uncomfortably aware of how easily she could move Neji's arms. They didn't hold her down to him but simply fell away from her as she rolled off of him. She turned and looked up just in time to see an enemy ninja coming towards her. She pulled out a kunai, swiping at him angrily until she nailed him in the neck with its sharp part and the ninja fell back lifeless. She turned back to the unmoving Neji, becoming suddenly aware of the tears running down her face. She shakily pulled off her mask, and did the same with Neji's. She couldn't bear to be so impersonal, not like this.

"Oh god…" She pleaded, choking on her tears and panic. "God…no…NEJI!!!"

Her hands flew towards him, and she bent down until his head was cradled in her left arm, her right arm was looped around his shoulder and she was bent down to him, completely still. As tears streamed down her face in silence, she would occasionally turn her head to kiss the side of his face and she began to whisper softly to him.

"Neji…come on…wake up…I love you…I love you…you have to wake up…Neji," she whispered softly.

As Tenten became completely absorbed in Neji's current condition, she became unaware of the fact that she was not alone. The remainder of Neji's most recent team had landed on the ground, circling her. None of them said anything for a long time in an effort to be sensitive to her pain. They just watched in silence as she quietly grieved for her unconscious love.

"Ayame," said a man at last. His voice was gentle and careful. Tenten guessed that this man was Takai. "We should get him to the village."

Tenten said nothing, but just clung to Neji.

"Ayame…" he repeated softly.

Tenten continued to cling to Neji, not replying to the other ANBU. It was then that Neji let out a small cough, followed by a low moan. Tenten leaned away from him, tears still streaming down her face. After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes. At the sight of tears running down her face, he shakily reached a hand up to her face and wiped them away.

"Why are you crying?"

"I thought that you…" she said, her voice trailing off.

"Always so quick to jump to conclusions," said Neji, giving her a weak smile.

She smiled sheepishly and Neji stared at her calmly. He knew this was a time to keep quiet and let her cry. As a lock of her hair fell in front of him, he pulled it towards him, kissing it.

"You are so beautiful. You know that?" he said softly. His gaze returned to her and he watched her in way that you would only if you loved the person.

"Neji," said the man that Tenten thought was Takai. "We should get you to the village so that you can get medical attention. After all…we still have a full day ahead of us."

Neji nodded, signaling that he understood.

At last, Neji spoke to Tenten, "Are you ready to get up and move?"

Tenten nodded, taking a deep breath and wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. With that, the young man thought to be Takai, stepped forward and eased Neji onto his back as carefully as he could. Neji still, however, let out a loud howl, indicating that the change in position had been quite painful. As Neji's and Tenten's masks were both put back on their faces, another ANBU stepped forward.

"I'll be you're transportation from here on out," he said. His voice was significantly older sounding than most of the people in the group. It had to be Gure-taka.

Tenten nodded, standing up awkwardly as she put all her weight on one foot. The man pulled her up onto his back. There was no doubt that he wasn't as comfortable as Neji, but he was quite sturdy all the same. Seconds later they were back in the trees. The speed seemed to have increased to make up for lost time.

She watched Neji being carried on Takai's back, just in front of her. Her eyes were glued on him. Every time something happened to him (which wasn't very often thankfully), she always came completely unglued and started to fear the worst. That was the problem. Neji always kept everything bottled up inside, so when anything did show, it was serious. And while it was true that Tenten was better at keeping her emotions under control than Sakura. If she thought that someone she really cared for bit the dust, she was no better at holding it in than the next person. She just hoped that she would never actually be right.

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_A.N. - gure-taka - gray hawk_

_maimu - mime_

_inakamono - clown_

_takai - death_

_nouzui - brain_

_nezumi - mouse_

Thanks for reading…hope you like it so far. Going a bit slow, I know, but its taking some time to write this fic the way I want, so hang in there. Anyway, thanks for all the positive comments on the first chapter, I enjoyed reading them. So yeah, until next chapter! Bye all!


	3. Friends and Teammates

_Neji walked cautiously through a dark corridor. The floor held water up to his ankles and the only real light was a kind of distance, pale, florescent green. Where was he? As he walked, there was no sound of splashing. No sound of anything for that matter. Suddenly, a door appeared to his right. Before he could reach down to turn the knob, the door flew open revealing an empty room…empty accept for a bird cage in the middle. A pale beam of white light came through a single window, lying just left of the cage. Frowning, he watched as a small blue bird materialized inside the cage. The bird sat on its perch, completely content until another bird with feathers the color of cherry red and pure white materialized just outside the cage. The bird inside the cage suddenly took flight towards the free bird, unable to reach it. As the free bird flew on, carefree, the caged bird flapped its wings desperately, trying to get to the other bird, but the bars of the cage would not let it go anywhere. As the free bird flew towards Neji, it occurred to him that he had not shut the door behind him. As it came closer, he suddenly felt the urge to try and stop it from leaving the room. Reached out his hand in an attempt to catch the bird, it abruptly disappeared into a wave of pale skin, brown hair, and white light. "Neji," said a familiar female voice, echoing softly. He felt a soft cloth touch his face and he could just see Tenten's face before she bent forward and kissed him. Just as her lips touched his, she shattered like glass. "Tenten…"_

Neji opened his eyes to find that the man whose back he was on had come to a halt and a wall of bugs were blocking their path. They had to be quite close to Konoha now.

"Shino's on patrol today, it looks like," said Tenten.

"I think you're right," said Gure-taka cheerfully.

It was then that a shinobi appeared from behind a tree, completely clothed in pale green. The fabric of his shirt flowed out at the sleeves in the style of a kimono. It was covered by a dark green vest. Sunglasses in the shape of two narrow black ovals hid his eyes. A bandana with the leaf crest engraved on its meddle bar at the front attempted to tame his hair. When he saw the group, he smiled.

"Well, well," he said. "Look what floated in with the leaves. I thought you guys would've been back ages ago."

"We would have," said Takai irritably, "accept that we had a little bit of a situation." He jerked his head towards Neji, and Neji looked up.

"Well, in any case," said mysterious shinobi named Shino as his bugs retreated back to some unknown destination, "Assarishita left with her team early this morning, so you just missed her, Takai."

This news seemed to aggravate his mood even more.

"Just my luck," he spat. "I finally get some time off after a mission and she's not even here!"

"There's nothing you can do about it now," said a woman next to him quietly. She was masked and cloaked as well, but she had been so quiet up until that point that Tenten had barely taken notice of her. But recalling Neji's words about a woman that went by the name Maimu, she began to think that this quiet woman had to be who he spoke of.

Takai sighed heavily.

"Right then," said Gure-taka. "Lets get moving."

"Nice seeing you, Shino," said Maimu quietly. As she did, Shino could almost swear that he saw the tiny patch of skin around her mask start to turn red.

"Same to you," said Shino.

With that, they were off again.

"Would you just ask him for a date already?" said Takai moodily when they had gotten out of earshot.

"But he doesn't even know what I look like under my mask," said Maimu timidly.

"Who cares? Ask him for a date and you'll both find out how the other looks when you get there," replied Takai.

"But…" Maimu protested.

"You don't have to listen to him, Maimu," said Neji.

"Oh thanks! You want me to just dump you off here?" Takai said.

"Nah, I'm good," said Neji.

"Look, I'm just trying to do her a favor," Takai said. "Believe me. Having someone there can be great every now and then."

"I know, but its hard to take the step of letting them know how you feel. So back off, will you!?" protested Neji.

"I'm just trying to help. Besides the fact…its not like you should be talking after that display with miss flower over there a few hours ago," Takai shot back.

"Leave Tenten out of this!" shouted Neji angrily.

A hush suddenly fell over the group. Neji wasn't known to lose his temper like this. And he had just used Tenten's real name while she was in disguise which was even more unlike him. Perhaps it had been because he was in so much pain, but everyone rather doubted it.

"I was just kidding, man," Takai said quietly.

"Don't talk to me!"

It was several minutes before anyone said another word, but when it finally happened, it plunged Neji into a subject that he didn't wish to enter.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" asked Takai so low that only Neji could hear him.

"Fine. Go," replied Neji.

"Do you love her? Ayame, I mean," said Takai.

Neji didn't reply. Instead, he swallowed hard and waited for Takai to say something else.

"You do, don't you?" said Takai after a long moment of awkward silence.

"Yeah," Neji managed to say, his voice barely audible.

"Have you told her?"

Neji took a deep breath, "No."

"Oh. I see," said Takai. He fell silent, deciding not to push the delicate issue.

The trees started to thin. Within minutes, the end of the forest was visible. As they jumped off the last tree, they slowed to a walk. The gate of the Konoha village was in sight.

"Masks off and hoods down" called Gure-taka.

With that, everyone reached a hand up to lower their hood and take off their mask. Each person lifted their cloak away at belt level to stow their mask under it. Tenten and Neji had some difficulty with this task, but they did it, all the same.

As they entered the gate, they saw Temari and Shikamaru standing just inside. They were engrossed in what appeared to be a very serious conversation. As they approached, the group of ANBU could hear part of what they were saying.

"That's why I think you should stay here. I want to be with you when it happens," said Shikamaru

"I told you, I can't. Its still early, and I can't stay away from my village that long," said Temari.

"At least let me come with you," protested Shikamaru.

"You're needed here," said Temari.

"But…"

"Don't worry," said Temari, smiling. "I'll be back in a few months."

She stepped forward, kissed him and turned to walk out the gate. Shikamaru stared after her, looking as if he had wanted to say more but wasn't given the chance.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" called Tenten happily.

Shikamaru slowly turned his head away from Temari as she walked away and looked over to find who had called his name. Seeing Tenten on Gure-taka's back and spotting Neji on Takai's back, not too far in front of her, he grinned.

"I guess they found you after all, then," said Shikamaru, turning his whole body towards them.

"As if we wouldn't," replied Takai.

"Well, looks like Kaze's group beat you guys," said Shikamaru. "They came through about twenty minutes ago."

Suddenly Takai and Neji looked very grumpy.

"Well, so you later then," said Shikamaru as they passed him.

"What now?" asked Maimu quietly.

"Now, we go to the hospital to get these two treated," said Gure-taka. "Then you guys go home and I report to Tsunade."

"Sounds like a plan," said Takai.

They walked a short ways until they opened the door to a large white building. As they all filtered inside, a skinny woman dressed in white, looked up. Walking forward, she waved them into a large room with several beds. As she helped Takai and Gure-taka lower Neji and Tenten onto beds right next to each other, they became aware that a few beds over was another familiar group of people.

"I told you to be more careful, Naruto," scolded Sakura, facing away from Neji's group. "Next time it may not just be the skin that gets cut."

"Yeah, yeah," replied Naruto, looked down at his foot as a doctor stitched it. It was a lot deeper than a mere cut on the skin.

Kakashi, who was sitting on the windowsill, looked up at the group entering the room.

"Ah, Kouji!" Kakashi called happily.

Gure-taka turned towards Kakashi, smiling, "Hello, Kakashi. How's life treating you lately?"

Sakura turned around at that point, and Naruto looked up.

"Fair, as always, old friend. What brings you here?"

Gure-taka stepped aside, revealing Tenten and Neji being carefully positioned on the beds behind him.

"Ayame and Karasu managed to hurt themselves," replied Gure-taka.

"Neji! Tenten!" exclaimed Naruto, seeing them.

Neji turned his head to look at Naruto.

"Hello," said Neji.

Tenten sat up, looking at Naruto.

"So what are you two in for?" Naruto joked.

Tenten was just about to reply when she was interrupted.

"Neji lost his footing on a tree and Tenten did something to her ankle," replied Maimu dryly.

"Well, thanks for making us both sound so clumsy," said Tenten as she looked towards the small group of ANBU who were still standing.

"Its not like its not true," replied Takai.

The group of standing ANBU looked towards her suddenly aware that she was staring at them.

"Oh, that's right," replied Takai. "You've never actually seen our real faces before."

Tenten was speechless. Takai had messy red hair and a silver dangling earring with the symbol for honor at the bottom. On the back of his left hand, he had a tattoo of a blue dragon with a red rose. He looked no older than Neji. Her eyes slowly traveled to Maimu, a beautiful woman who looked to be in her early twenties as well. Her eyebrows were thin, her eyes sharp and blue, and her jaw was slender. Her soft blue hair fanned out in a beautiful display at the back of her head, contrasting her pale skin perfectly. Gure-taka, also known to Kakashi as Kouji, was a tall man with narrow eyes and black hair that was beginning to gray. Still, he couldn't have been more than forty years old. As she surveyed his face, she began to think that he and Takai were both very handsome, clean-shaven men. She couldn't understand why anyone like them would want to hide their faces behind a mask all the time. But then again, so did Neji, and he was more handsome to her than either of them. Come to think of it, why did she wear a mask all the time? Did it have to do with the sense of adventure and responsibility that came with it? Did it simply pose as something for them to make them feel good about themselves? Or did they want to feel like the heroes?

"What?" asked Takai in his fair voice. "Not what you expected?"

Tenten had to admit, they were all utterly stunning in their own way.

"No…" she replied.

"My name's Tai, by the way. Maimu's real name is Aya, and of course, Gure is Kouji," said Takai.

Tenten nodded, "Thank you, but I'll probably just end up calling you by your code names."

Takai shrugged, "Sure, either way is fine."

A doctor walked in the room with an older man dressed in a kimono. The man in a kimono walked over to Neji, and the doctor walked over to Tenten.

"All right, lets take a look at that foot, shall we?" said the doctor smiling at Tenten. She nodded in response.

He ran his hands up the foot, pushing on certain spots, asking whether each one was tender. In turn, the man in the kimono gently helped Neji turn onto his stomach.

"How about here?" asked the doctor, reaching the muscle just above the ankle. She flinched and nodded in response.

"This should relieve the pain in your back," said the man in the kimono, "but your muscles may still be a little stiff afterwards. So you may want to take it easy for a day or two afterwards."

With that, the man in the kimono put a tray of small needles on Neji's bedside table. Slowly and carefully, he inserted, one after the other into the skin on Neji's back. Gure-taka and Maimu watched the acupuncturist intently.

"Well," said the doctor, reaching for a bandage. "It's a slight sprain. Its not bad, but if you continue to walk on it without it being set into position, it could cause a larger problem. So, I'm going to wrap it. All I ask is that when you walk on it, you be sensitive of which way you put your foot. Don't cock it out at a weird angle or anything when you step or it might tear into the muscle even more. Understand?"

She nodded, "Okay."

Takai watched her quietly. Something in his heart made him want to get to know her and take care of her. He pushed the feeling away, writing it off as a childish crush for a stranger.

The doctor finished wrapping Tenten's foot and taped two long bars of medal to either side of it so that her foot would land a certain way. Next to her, hundreds of tiny needles were planted into the skin on Neji's back. He didn't appear to be in pain, but Tenten didn't wish to be in his place, all the same. As the doctor helped Tenten to her feet to check his work. She thanked him as he left, and slowly sank back down onto her bed, looking back over at Neji.

The man in the kimono kept inserting more needles for another twenty minutes or so before he suddenly stopped, surveying his work. Pleased with the fact that he seemed to have covered every necessary point, he gently started to ease each needle back out of the skin.

"Well, we're off, Kouji," said Kakashi as he passed. Kouji waved in response.

"Take care, Kakashi."

With that, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and their doctor made their way out of the room, leaving the small team of ANBU alone with the acupuncturist as he worked on Neji. Silence fell over the room for nearly half an hour as the man removed each needle carefully.

"Turn over," said the acupuncturist after he removed the last needle from Neji's back. Neji did as he was told without much difficulty, much to everyone's amazement. The man then proceeded to push on spots of Neji's chest and stomach with his hands, but when Neji didn't voice any complaints, the man seemed satisfied.

"There are no internal injuries," said the man. "He should be able to stand now. Good day."

With that, the man left and Neji slowly straightened up, grabbing his shirt and slowly pulling it back on. Tenten couldn't help but stare at his body in a way that said she was admiring his muscles. It was the first time that she had really admired his physical qualities, and she had to admit, she was more impressed by him now more than ever before. She just hoped that somewhere in his heart, he admired and loved her the same way she admired and loved him.

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**_Okay, how was it? Still got a ways to go. Anyway, more later! Bye all!_**


	4. Together Again

Neji rose from the hospital bed, stretching. The man had been right. The pain was gone, but he did feel a little stiff still.

"Well," said Gure-taka. "Tai, you and Miss Aya may go back to your homes now. I need to file a report with Lady Tsunade."

Takai nodded, unmoving. Maimu, however, thanked their leader and left.

"Tenten, you may go if you wish. I need to speak to Neji first before he leaves."

Tenten nodded, carefully rising for her bed. Takai stepped forward to help in case she started to fall, but she did not. Slowly, she walked out of the room and Takai followed close behind, closing the door behind him. Neji caught a glimpse of Takai and glared at him jealously as he sunk back to his bed. He could not have just waited for Tenten in the same way that Neji always did. Neji wouldn't allow it if he had anything to say about it.

"I want to talk about why you fell," replied Kouji.

'Here it comes,' Neji thought.

"What about it?" he asked.

"You failed to sense an enemy until they were on you, and then you lost your footing on a tree branch. You couldn't even think enough to put chakra in your feet to at least hold your position on another tree before you fell. I realize you have feelings for Miss Tenten, but you can't let that distract you from doing your job. If you do, you could get hurt like you just did, or worse. You could even put her in danger," said Kouji.

"With all due respect, Kouji, she didn't distract me. I failed to sense the enemy because there was nothing to sense until they were right beside me. I missed the next branch because I was dodging a blow, and there was no solid tree trunk anywhere near me to hold anything to. Everything I fell through snapped easily under my weight. As for my feelings for her, that's my business alone."

Kouji didn't look completely convinced, but after a moment of silently thinking it over, he forced a smile.

"All right. You're dismissed. But, you're going to be on injury leave. So is Tenten. I suggest that you use that time to sort out your feelings for her," said Kouji.

Neji kept his mouth shut with some difficulty, deciding that replying to Kouji rudely at this point might really get him into trouble. Nodding stiffly, Kouji clapped him on the shoulder.

"See you in a week, Neji," Kouji said, walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Neji bent over, until his elbows were on his knees and he was staring at the ground. He felt the stress of it all building up inside him and there was nothing he could do about it. Part of him wanted to go out there and try to find Takai and take him apart limb from limb, but the calmer, more intelligent part of him knew better than to go picking a fight. And it was a fight that Neji thought, he probably wouldn't win anyway. Besides, he didn't have any proof that Takai was hitting on Tenten, did he? The fact of the matter was, he couldn't bring himself to go anywhere. He didn't want anyone asking him stupid questions on the way home.

"Why did I have to wait so long? Why can't I ever tell her?" Neji asked himself.

A single tear suddenly fell on the back of his hand. He stared at it in silence. Was he…crying? He reached up and wiped his eyes, staring at the floor.

"Neji?" called a soft voice uncertainly as the door opened behind him.

Someone was walking towards him slowly. When he looked up. Tenten was standing in front of him, looking very worried.

"Are you okay?"

Neji said nothing. Getting to his feet, he pulled her into his arms. As he stood there holding her. His breaths came short and uneven. Tenten, put her arms around him, unsure of what to think.

"Neji…are you crying?"

"I'm…fine. Just give me a minute," said Neji quietly.

Tenten gently tightened her hold around him, pulling him even closer until there seemed to be no separation between them at all. She knew that he wouldn't talk about it, so all she could do was try to offer a little comfort to whatever was turning his world upside down.

"Tenten?" Neji asked, releasing her at last.

"Yeah," she said, watching as his gaze fell to the floor.

"Why did you stay? Tai was waiting for you, wasn't he?"

Tenten chuckled, "Not my type."

Neji looked up at Tenten in disbelief, "Red-haired, bad-ass pretty boy isn't your type?"

"Not a chance," said Tenten. She leaned forward, turned her head, and kiss him on the cheek.

Neji watcher her quietly, unsure of what to say or do. Feeling his face turn red, he looked away.

"Come on," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the door. "Lets get out of here."

Neji smiled sheepishly, "All right."

With that, they were out the door of the hospital and walking down the main stone-paved street of Konoha. Even though Neji was still a little shaken, he couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness that Tenten was there beside him.

"Oy! Neji!" called Shikamaru as he came into view.

"Hey! How are you?" replied Neji.

"A little stressed. How about you?" Shikamaru was only about four feet away from them now.

"I'm on injury leave," replied Neji.

Shikamaru nodded. Neji had become a close friend to Shikamaru over the years. It was strange in a way how two people so different could so often be on the same page. Neji and Shikamaru, however, found that they were really not so different after all. They both were terrible at expressing their feelings, they both had people that they loved, and they both thought that the world had to give one way or another. The only difference was, Shikamaru expressed his dislike openly and Neji made it a point to stay pleasant and keep his mouth shut most of the time.

"How's Temari?" Neji asked.

Shikamaru suddenly looked very stressed and weary. Neji frowned, watching him quietly.

"She's…on her way back to the desert. She's…uh…she's pregnant," said Shikamaru running his fingers through his hair in a way that symbolized his anxiety.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" exclaimed Tenten.

Neji smiled nervously, "Wow. So, you're going to be a father then? That's amazing. Congratulations!"

Shikamaru nodded, "Yeah. I just wish she would stay here…or at least let me go to the sand village with her. She's only about two months in, but I still wish that I could make sure that she's okay."

"She'll be fine. You know she can take care of herself," said Neji.

"Yeah, I know," said Shikamaru. "I know she can take care of herself. Its what she's carrying that I'm worried about. I mean…what if she gets in a battle, gets injured, and goes into labor?"

"She's still a long ways off from that becoming a problem. Besides, I'm sure she'll quit taking missions long before it becomes an issue," said Tenten.

Shikamaru sighed, "I hope so. Well, nice talking to you."

"Yeah," said Neji.

"See you around," said Shikamaru.

"See ya," said Neji.

With that, Shikamaru turned and continued walking past them. Neji let out a long sigh. Shikamaru was married and about to be a father, Lee was happily with Sakura, and even Naruto was happily taken. He couldn't help but feel a bout of jealousy knowing that he was so incapable of getting up the courage to tell Tenten how he felt. With everyone getting together, where did it leave him? Well, there was still Kiba to sympathize with. Still, Kiba had Akamaru, so he never quite seemed completely lonely either.

"My place…or your place?" asked Tenten.

"Mine," he said calmly. It was like a ritual they had after missions. They came home and hung out together for a few hours.

Ten minutes later, Neji's key slid into the lock of his door. He opened the door and waited for her to enter before walking inside and closing the door behind him.

"Hungry?" asked Neji as he passed her, pulling back a few wooden shades.

Sunlight streamed in revealing the details of his house. It was a small place with several pictures from his clan, a fairly recent picture of the main branch's leader with Hinata, and three pictures of him with Tenten. The first was a picture of when he was first put into Gai-sensei's team. Gai, Lee, Tenten, and Neji seemed all so young back then. The next was a picture of when he continued in Gai's group at sixteen years old, and the last was taken two years before, when he and Tenten became ANBU. With each newer photo, Neji and Tenten seemed to get closer together and Neji seemed to look happier each time. In the one that he took as a genin, he stood on the end next to Lee, looking apathetic. As a Jounin, he stood next to Tenten looking calm. And when he stood next to Tenten as an ANBU with their masks in their hands, Neji had a smile on his face and his arm was around her waist.

"No," Tenten replied. "Maybe just a drink."

"Thank you," he said, reaching his kitchen and pouring her a glass of water. She giggled in response.

Making his way back to her, he handed her the cup and immediately walked over to his bed, laying down on it when he got there. Closing his eyes, he let out a content sigh.

"Sorry," he said after a moment. "My back is still stiff."

Tenten took a sip from her cup before setting it down and laying down next to him. Her head reclined backwards until it rested on his chest.

"I know," she said.

He closed his eyes, soaking in the moment.

"Neji? When are you coming back to our team?"

Neji opened his eyes, "Maybe yesterday. Maybe a few weeks from now. Maybe next year. Maybe…as soon as I come back from this leave."

Tenten rose and looked at him. He used this opportunity to prop himself up at the head of the bed. He stared at Tenten in silence.

"What?" he asked, watching her calmly.

"It just," she said, "you really scared me when you fell. I thought you really had died or something."

He stared back at her, "You can't kill me that easily."

"Neji, I'm being serious," Tenten pleaded.

"I know. But I didn't die, so don't worry about it."

Tenten was about to say something else, but there was a knock at the door. Neji stared at the door then got to his feet. Reaching the door, he opened it revealing Lee and Sakura. Sakura smiled at the sight of him.

"Tsunade asked me to tell you that she wants you to report to the hospital for a check up as soon as you got back. You haven't been down there for three months," said Sakura.

"What? I was just there about half an hour ago," said Neji.

"Oh," said Sakura, "well, they didn't contact me."

"No. Never mind. I wasn't there for a check up. I had an injury from our last mission. In fact I'm on leave for the next week. I'll stop by tomorrow," said Neji.

"All right. I'll tell her," said Sakura.

"Nice seeing you, Neji," said Lee.

"Yes. Its always nice to see you," said Sakura.

"Bye then," said Neji.

"See ya," called Tenten.

"Bye," said Sakura and Lee simultaneously.

With that Lee and Sakura left, leaving Neji and Tenten alone once again. Neji closed the door and looked over at Tenten. He had an amused expression on his face.

"Hungry now?"

Tenten grinned, "Absolutely."

Neji nodded, walking back to his kitchen. If there was one thing that he prided himself on besides his fighting skill, it was his cooking.

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Okay. Sorry it took so long to update but my internet has been down for almost a week. Its okay though. I had to rewrite some of it anyway. But yeah. Hope you liked it. More later! Bye all!


	5. The Way I feel

_Sky Rider: Hey Neji! Guess what?!!!_

_Neji: folds arms What?_

_Sky Rider: IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!_

_Neji: sigh Here it comes… All right. Get on with it…_

_Sky Rider: Yay! 'Happy Birthday to you!!! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Neji! Happy Birthday to you!!!' So, how old are you?_

_Neji: In the story?_

_Sky Rider: Yeah._

_Neji: Twenty-two._

_Sky Rider: Wow. Are you going to change you're hair or your outfit again?_

_Neji: Just get back to the story…_

_Sky Rider: But…_

_Neji: Story…please…now…_

_Sky Rider: pouts Fine…Jeez…You're no fun._

_Neji: sighs Hey…_

_Sky Rider: Yeah?_

_Neji: Thanks…_

_Sky Rider: Yay! Now…back to the story!_

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"So that was it? That's all they told you?" Tenten asked, staring at Neji as he sat down on the other side of the table, placing two cups of tea on the smooth surface. Their meal had only begun to cook.

"Well…yes and no. They just said I was a replacement and that until they found a new ANBU to take Ino's spot, I would be staying in Kouji's group. I didn't have a say in the matter. If I did, I would have stayed in Risa's group with you."

"But why you?"

"I'm told that Kouji heard about me from someone and requested me when Ino went down. Who it was, though, he won't tell me," said Neji.

"So what happened to Choji and Ino anyway?" Tenten asked gravely.

"Their group went after Itachi for some inane reason that they refused to tell me. Needless to say, they walked in on him at a bad time. Itachi was in the middle of an all out battle with Sasuke at the time. Supposedly they hadn't seen anything like it. It was like watching two gods go at each other. They didn't even compare to human beings anymore. Flying around trying to assassinate each other. Jeez," replied Neji.

"So what happened?"

"The three members of the Akatsuki that had been watching the fight got bored and went after Kouji's team. Now, we both know Ino and Choji. They weren't prepared for something that powerful. Kouji said that it was like a suicide mission. As soon as the other ninja went for you, you either ran or you died. And some died even when they ran. Kouji took a few blows to give the others time to get out of there. Ino and Choji were killed pretty much instantly, and a third died in Kaze's arms about an hour later. Kouji just managed to escape before he got killed too," said Neji.

"That's terrible," said Tenten.

"Yeah. Kouji told me that that's why they called me in. He got word that one of the Uchiha's died in that fight. Who it was though, they don't know. They want to pull a few teams together and go back and see if they can find either Sasuke or Itachi," said Neji.

"So we're all going?"

"No. Just me, my team, and a few other teams. I think Kiba's team might be part of it, but yours won't be affected."

Tenten stared at him, trying to make his words sink in.

"But…even with your new skills... You remember the last time you faced someone from Sasuke's pack? They nearly killed you. Kiba was almost killed too!"

Neji rose from the table, making his way back to the kitchen, "I know that…but…orders are orders."

Tenten couldn't believe what she was hearing. Neji, one of the most intelligent and powerful people she knew, was going to be led out to be slaughtered. The idea stung her soul and worked its way out until it pierced her heart.

"Its not that I don't believe in you Neji. But how does anyone survive something like the Akatsuki or Orochimaru? Not even the third Hokage could defeat him, and that was when Orochimaru was alone. Imagine all the abilities of the guys that he trains," said Tenten. She was trying to fight the fear that had started to press in on her, but she had to admit that she was losing the battle.

"Its not my decision," said Neji simply. He turned the salmon in the oven and peaked at the rice. Neither were anywhere close to being done. He walked back into the room and was about to sit down when he noticed that Tenten was trembling.

"Neji! You're not listening!!" She shouted, standing up quite suddenly and banging her fist on the table. Her eyebrows knitted together in distress.

Neji watched her quietly.

"Can't you see…" Tenten began, thrusting the palms of her hands onto the table and hanging her head. Completely bewildered, Neji frowned, his eyes never leaving her.

"Can't you see…that I—that I love you," she said. "That's why I can't let you do this. I know it selfish, but I don't care. You leaving even for a moment rips me to pieces! And if you ever didn't come back…I would die right when I would hear the news."

Tenten's breaths came uneven as she worked hard to hold back yet another bout of tears.

Neji quietly left his side of the table and walked over to her. Gently, he picked her slender frame off the table and pulled her into his arms. She leaned into his chest as he did this. He felt her hands grab the front of his shirt and her face bury itself in the soft cloth. As she did, his arms circled around her, holding her to him. He took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," he said "I didn't mean to worry you or hurt you…not like this. I…um…I wasn't actually supposed to tell you about the possibility of that becoming a mission, but how could I not? I couldn't just silently leave without you knowing. I needed for you to know. You are more important to me than anyone…because…I love you too. I always have."

Neji's face suddenly flushed a bright red right down to the tips of his ears. Tenten slowly let go of his shirt and reached around him so that her arms circled his back.

"But…" Neji continued, "if they tell me to go, I have to go. Regardless of where they send me. My fate cannot be changed this time. Whether I live or not is not for me to decide. All I can do is fight."

Tenten took a deep breath and released Neji. He slowly released her as well, watching her carefully. She knew how stubborn he was about believing that fait couldn't be changed, so their was no point in arguing. While it was true that Neji had started to ease up slightly on his beliefs about fait lately, Tenten still didn't want to risk plunging both of them into an endless, pointless debate.

"I know," she said. "I just wish I were going with you."

"I…do not," replied Neji. "I don't wish to fear for both of our lives instead of just my own."

Tenten nodded, "I guess I'd just be a distraction. Er—I mean…"

Neji smiled gently, "I think you're right. You're beauty and my feelings might very well distract me if you came. I don't want to see you get hurt, and I'm not sure I would be able to protect you."

"But I can protect myself!" Tenten protested, blushing.

"I know. But right now you're injured, and this could very well take place in the very near future. Too near," said Neji.

Tenten's expression turned into a kind of pout, but she said nothing in reply. Neji took this opportunity to check the food again. It was closer to being done, but not quite there yet. When he returned, Tenten was once again kneeling on a mat at the table.

Stopping in the doorway, it hit him how beautiful she really was. Just as he began to admire the way that her hair caught the light so perfectly, she turned her head to look at him. Neji immediately straightened up, pretending to have just walked in.

"Its not done quite yet. I'll give it another ten minutes and then it should be done," said Neji, self-consciously walking back into the dining room.

Tenten nodded, "So, just for giggles. Lady Tsunade mentioned that's she's already put on some years and she's thinking of retiring."

Neji blinked, "She did? When?"

"While I was in her office playing diplomat between the sand and the leaf village just after Shikamaru and Temari got married. She said that she was thinking of retiring in ten years…well…I guess, technically, that would make it nine years now, wouldn't it? Hmm…"

Neji stared at her, speechless. How could she be troubling him about something that may or may not be happening _**NINE YEARS**_ in the future? Something that she knew didn't even involve him in the least…or did she?

"Uh…" Neji began, shakily, "Naruto and Sakura have gotten incredibly strong. I wouldn't have believed it a few years ago, but more recently he's been taking on harder enemies than Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei and beating them. Sakura still has a ways to go before she would be strong enough for Hokage, but I've heard that her medical skills are rivaled only by Lady Tsunade herself. As for the rest of us, we've still got a ways to go."

Tenten frowned, "Funny. I would have picked Shikamaru or you. But you're right. Naruto does seem to be surpassing everyone."

Neji blushed slightly. He was nowhere near good enough to be a Hokage, not by a long shot, but he thought it sweet that she thought so highly of him anyway. Ducking back into the kitchen, he decided to start arranging the rice, even though it had been nowhere close to ten minutes yet.

Taking several pieces of soft seaweed, he carefully rinsed them in the sink and delicately placed a small amount of rice at the end of each strand. Rolling the seaweed carefully around the rice, he placed them side-by-side on a tray until the tray was full. Taking the salmon out just before it started to lose its juicy flavor, he put it on a long white plate. Taking both the tray and the plate in his hands, he walked over to the table and set them both in front of Tenten before sitting down in front of her, himself.

Tenten looked at it, almost in awe.

"All those times, and you still amaze me. Because every time it comes out like this! Whenever I cook and talk at the same time, things get burned," said Tenten.

Neji couldn't help but smile, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Tenten shook her head, "This is amazing. How on earth did you have time to even get salmon?"

The corners of Neji's mouth formed into a mischievous grin, "My secret."

Tenten separated her chopsticks and popped a seaweed, rice-ball into her mouth and then started to laugh. Neji did the same, all the while, a grin never left his face.

"What?" he asked finally.

"Its just not fair," she said, still laughing, "your so much better at cooking than I am."

At this Neji started to laugh too.

Now, it was a common fact that not all men in Konoha couldn't cook. I mean, after all, Neji did, Kakashi did and Shikamaru did. But what about everyone else? Well, mostly, they mooched off their fellow bachelors or the girls or were married…more likely still, though, they ate out…a lot. So the idea of a guy who could cook better than a girl in the village was utterly absurd. The only dent to this theory, however, was that, the guys who could cook often did cook better than the girls and that's a fact.

So, as their meal slowly disappeared from the table and into their mouths, thoughts of Neji's possible departure and all other depressing things slipped away. In fact, their fun only seemed to end when Neji opened his eyes the next morning to see Tenten in his arms. Seeing her cloak draped over them both, he looked back at Tenten in confusion. Lifting the cloak just slightly, he peaked underneath to assess the damage. To his relief, they appeared to be both fully clothed. But why couldn't he remember why they had ended up like this in the first place? As he tried to rise from the bed, he felt a sharp piercing pain shoot through his skull. It was then that he remembered. Amongst their happy thoughts and their wonderful conversations, somewhere along the way, a relentless migraine had taken up residence in his skull. Tenten refused to leave him at his home alone after she had caught him leaning over the sink, half-wishing to pass out right then and there. Tenten had thought that it may have been an after affect from the shock of falling some thirty feet from a tree onto his back. Neji had to agree due to the fact that there was no other explanation for it. So, an offer to stay and make sure he was all right through the night and a few cups of tea later, here he was, sleeping on top of his covers with Tenten in his arms.

He had to admit, at first it had nearly given him a heart attack, but now that he knew what had happened, he rather liked it. He didn't remember ever being this close to her before, not unless they were hugging, and even that wasn't this close. After all, she was facing away from him and apparently, his arms were around her stomach. But just as he started to find himself enjoying the situation, she began to stir. A few seconds later, Tenten slowly rose from the bed, feeling Neji's grip around her soften as she did so. Looking back at Neji, she met his eyes. She smiled, gently running a hand over his cheek and brushing away a lock of black hair. She seemed to know exactly where she was and why she was there, regardless of the temporary lapse in Neji's own memory.

"How are you feeling?"

"Wonderful, accept when I move," replied Neji truthfully.

Tenten's expression suddenly seemed troubled, "That's no good. We're getting you to a doctor."

Neji groaned. After twenty minutes and much protesting, Tenten and Neji were back in the hospital again.

"The good news," said a young doctor walking into the room with a chart, "is that, based on your previous visit, we've determined that nothing's broken, no organs were injured, and your muscles sustained minimal damage. The bad news is that your bones are completely out of whack with each other. Lay down on your stomach for me."

As the doctor, reached him, he slowly lowered himself down to the bed, stomach first. As he did, another sharp pain shot through his skull, and he heard himself cry out in pain. Tenten watched intently, never leaving his side.

"Alright, you ready? I'm going to fix you," said the doctor, offering a gentle smile to Tenten.

Putting his knee on Neji's back, just above his pelvis, the doctor reached behind Neji's opposite shoulder and jerked in an bizarre direction. Strangely enough, though, it seemed to relieve some of the pain in his head.

"Turn over," said the doctor, his ear-length black hair covered his startling blue eyes as he leaned over to help Neji.

Neji slowly turned onto his back, still feeling a little pain in his skull as he moved, "What's this for?"

"You had a bad fall a few days ago, right? This is to make sure that you're neck goes back where its supposed to," replied the doctor.

Not wasting any time, he gave a quick jerk to Neji's neck in another peculiar direction. Neji could hear his neck pop, feeling a rush of sudden relief right after. Sitting up slowly, Neji looked up at the doctor for a moment, messaging his neck before nodding his approval.

The doctor nodded back, satisfied with Neji's reaction.

As the doctor looked over Neji's chart again, he circled a few things before looking up, "You're late for a check up, Neji. Want me to do that too while you're here?"

"Yes! That would be wonderful, Toshi!"

Of all the doctors that Neji had to deal with at the hospital, Toshi had always been his favorite. Although, it never really came up, he respected the man. Toshi always kept a professional, yet cheerful attitude. He didn't butter things up, but he didn't make it seem like the end of the world either. Everything that came out of his mouth was the truth, and that was it, nothing more, nothing less.

"Open up," said Toshi, holding up a small flashlight to illuminate Neji's mouth. Neji did as he was told. Toshi wrote something on Neji's chart. Putting the flashlight back in his lab coat, he put a small device in Neji's ear. Taking it out, he wrote a little more on Neji's chart. Gently, Toshi ran his fingers over Neji's throat, then wrote something else on the chart.

"How are your eyes? Are their affects functioning normally?"

"I haven't tried using Byakugan since I fell, but it was working fine before," replied Neji.

"Why don't you try now," said Toshi.

"Alright," said Neji. Seconds later, everything turned black and white around him. He could see through the streets and buildings of Konoha. Tsunade was drinking tea in her office, Jiraya was walking towards Naruto's house, and Takai's girlfriend had just come in the front gate.

"They work fine," Neji said at last.

"Only one thing left," said Toshi, rising to his feet and drawing himself up to his full height.

Neji gave him a sarcastic grin as Toshi led him outside. This part of the physical was the reason why he never got his checkups on time.

"You have five minutes," Toshi said.

"Usual time, huh?"

"As always," replied Toshi. "You know the course?"

"Yeah," said Neji. "Ready whenever you are, doc."

Toshi raised an eyebrow, "Alright. Five…four…three…two…one…go!"

The ground under Neji immediately started to sink. Jumping back onto solid ground, he immediately went into a dead sprint. Using his eyes on the ground, he could see through it all.

"They've moved the traps again."

Jumping to the side to avoid a collapsing floor trap, he vaulted over a low hanging tree and looked up in time to see thousands of kunai coming towards him. Using the Hakkeshou Kaiten, the kunai stopped in mass and landed uselessly on the ground. Using the Byakugan he spotted the exit to the course. As he sprinted forward, his mind started to buzz. He could sense that he was almost out of time, Toshi seemed to be getting tenser in his presence. But how much time did he have? He didn't know. Suddenly he came to a dummy. Jyuuken. That was the only move he could think clear enough to pull off. After a moment, the dummy folded back, revealing a gate. Sprinting the rest of the way, he barged through it and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Four minutes and fifty-six seconds," said Toshi, walking over to Neji.

Neji immediately bent over, feeling his lungs burn in protest from lack of oxygen.

"You alright?" Toshi asked.

"F-Five…min—utes…for that?"

"Lady Tsunade's orders. She wants to push you guys a little more," said Toshi. He didn't seem very pleased about her orders either.

"T-Tsu—nade's…orders?" Neji gasped, looking appalled.

"Hey, just breathe. You're not sixteen anymore. Besides, I think you got tense and started trying to hold your breath somewhere in there," said Toshi.

"Ri-diculous," replied Neji.

But it was then that it occurred to him how true Toshi's small remark was. It was true, Neji wasn't sixteen anymore. He couldn't keep on going endlessly like he used to. He was starting to gain limits now. But he also had privileges now that he had never dreamed of having when he was sixteen. To have had Tenten spend the entire night in his house and then still have her happy to see him and be with him the next morning, he never would have thought it possible when he had been sixteen. To be an elite ANBU that many people wanted on their team. He would have never believed that either when he had been sixteen. Becoming an adult had changed him in many ways. It had made him calmer, easier to talk to, and less quick to judge. His emotions and occasional reckless behaviors, however, were still there and potent as ever. This was something, however, that he found that he could live with.

"Well, everything checks out. I'll notify Tsunade as soon as possible. Tenten's probably waiting for you inside, but your free to go," said Toshi.

Neji nodded, "Thanks, Toshi."

Making his way back inside, he found Tenten sitting on a bed having her ankle checked again. He watched as an older female doctor sat in a chair in front of her, looking to see if the swelling had gotten any worse. Seeming satisfied, she bandaged the ankle again, all the while keeping the two metal bars in place. Watching Tenten quietly from the doorway, Neji decided that he was going to spend the week of leave that he had left with her. What he hadn't told her, though, was that Kouji had already told him his what his orders would be. The day after he would come back to active duty, he would be going with his team to locate the remaining Uchiha, whether he be Itachi or Sasuke. But for now, he pushed that thought out of his mind. For now, Tenten was all that mattered.

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**Okay. So, long chapter. Anyway, tell me what you think. This was one of those writer's block chapters that I couldn't find a way to end for a while…so you know, hopefully it didn't suck too bad. But yeah… See you next chapter!**


	6. Training Mission

The days of Neji's injury leave went by fast, and all too soon he was picking up his mask and cloak and walking out the door of his house. He knew that his first day back was only a training mission to get him back up to speed, a precaution to make sure that he really was at the top of his form. Tomorrow, he would be going off on a mission that was more dangerous than anything he had ever done, even trying to rescue Sasuke. This time, he wouldn't be trying to rescue anyone. This time, it would be an attempt at assassinating either Itachi or Sasuke. But first, they had to find out which one of the two brothers was even still alive.

Neji hated the mission, every part of it, right down to what he would be wearing. Kouji had given the order to make all of the leaving ANBU wear black, making it harder to pick out individuals. There were just too many loose ends and what-ifs with the mission that had unsettled Neji's stomach more than twice in the last week. But what Neji hated more than all of the orders, requirements, and information, or rather lack there of, that he had been given about the mission was the fact that he hadn't told Tenten that he would be leaving yet. Somehow, every time he wanted to bring it up, she had always been in a good mood and he didn't want to spoil it. Now, he was risking leaving her on a bitter note for longer than a week at a time. And that thought really bothered him.

"Have a good rest, Karasu?" Tai asked as Neji walked up to the place that his team had been assigned to meet.

"Stuff it, Takai," replied Neji calmly.

The entire team was back again. All of them had taken a few days to rest even if they hadn't been on injury leave. Even the fowl tempered Kaze seemed to be in a better mood than normal.

"Alright," interrupted Kouji before Takai or Neji could say another word. "As you know, tomorrow we will be joining with Ken's group, Doku's group, and Tategami's group. Which means that, we're spending today on a training mission to get ready for it. We don't want to fall behind tomorrow."

Here they were, on the verge of going on a mission that might very well take the lives of half the ANBU going on it, and he had the nerve to talk about not wanting his team to fall behind. Neji began to wonder whether being a shinobi was about fighting or running. Still, orders were orders, and no matter how daft Neji thought that they were, he always followed them without question.

"So, where are we going to waste time today?" asked a female shinobi who was obviously in her early thirties. Her gold hair flowed freely into her hood.

"Easy, Nezumi," replied Gure-taka firmly.

The woman immediately backed off, keeping her mouth shut. She, like everyone else in the group, seemed to hold a kind of silent understanding and complete respect for Kouji.

"A little girl named Rina was reported missing a few hours ago. We're going to spread out and look for her. We'll be using long-range headsets, so make sure yours is working before you leave. If you run into any trouble or end up finding her before everyone else does, share that information over the network," said Kaze.

Now Neji started to understand why Kaze looked so relaxed. She hated children, so the idea of one possibly having gotten into a dangerous circumstance probably uncannily placated her. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. How did he get stuck with her again?

"Right then. Any questions? Everyone ready?" Gure-taka asked.

"We're ready, sir," replied Maimu shyly.

Gure-taka smiled softly at her before looking at the rest of the group, "Alright! Masks on! Headsets on! Good luck!"

With that everyone went off in different directions leaving Neji standing alone. He wasn't about to go running off somewhere without knowing where he was supposed to be going, first. Using the Byakugan, his eyes zoomed in around the vicinity. He didn't enjoy looking for people. They didn't stand out like objects did. Turning several times, he finally came upon a small figure around six kilometers away that was sitting next to a tree, hugging its knees. Its long hair covered the figure's face.

"That's gotta be her," he said to himself.

"Sorry? Did someone find her?" He heard Gure-taka ask through the headset.

"Maybe," replied Neji.

"I copy. This is Gure-taka, to whom am I speaking," Gure-taka said.

"This is Karasu. I think I've located her in the North to North Eastern part of the forest about thirty minutes out," replied Neji.

"Understood, lets start heading that way, guys!"

"Understood, sir," said a female voice over the link.

He was off. He seemed to be the only one going in the right direction. There was no one around for several hundred meters which meant that everyone else must have been going the wrong way. Now he knew why they had been given a full day to accomplish the mission. He knew it would take at least half an hour to reach her, even knowing where she was, but had he not pinpointed her location, they may very well have had to spend the entire day looking and may have never found her.

As he traveled through the trees, he began to sense that he was being watched. He didn't know why, but on this particular occasion, that thought really alarmed him. But why? He had taken on hundreds of shinobi in his life, so why did the thought of an enemy ninja suddenly bother him now? A sudden image of Tenten came into his head and then a vague picture of the girl he was trying to find. He suddenly felt even more on edge. He really didn't know what to do about it, but he was beginning to see the problem. He couldn't deny that more recently he had started to pick up on a few more fatherly instincts, himself. He had first started noticing it when he left Tenten's team, but as for why it was happening, he didn't have a clue, accept that he had been hanging around Shikamaru a lot. Still, he didn't like the way that his new found instincts and feelings seemed to be making it harder to keep composed and unattached to situations and people, whether he knew them well or not. In a way, it felt like he was becoming softer in his adulthood which had really started to worry him.

"You can relax, Karasu," said a fair voice from beside him, which also reached over the intercom. "Its just me, Takai."

He hastily came into view and waved a hand at Neji. Neji gave him a curt wave back and continued forward without a word.

"You're tense. Something wrong?" Takai asked, muting his headset.

"Its nothing," Neji lied, muting his headset as well. "Its just that I've been off for a while. Takes a little bit to get back into the swing of things."

Takai shrugged, "Know how that is. Just give it a day or two, you'll be fine."

For everyone's sake, including his own, Neji hoped that Takai was right. Maybe his anxiety would go away after a few days of a very serious mission. After fifteen minutes of thinking about this however, he decided to swallow his pride and do the very last thing that he wanted—ask for advice.

"Hey, Takai?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I asked you about something?"

"Sure, shoot," replied Takai, smiling.

"Well, have you…have you ever started feeling like…I dunno…like your turning into your dad?"

"Turning into my dad? Like how?" Takai asked, his face creasing into a frown.

"Well, lately…I've been feeling kind of soft and I'll find myself worrying about people that I don't even know that well. Especially children," mutter Neji, his face turning slightly pink out of embarrassment.

"Okay. Well…are you thinking about Tenten when this happens?" Takai asked, wasting no time.

Neji started turning red, "Not really thinking about her…she just sort of pops up."

Takai grinned, "Oh. You've got it bad."

Neji looked over at Takai bewildered, "Got what bad?"

"Your at the 'what if we had a family' stage. Never happened to me before, but my dad told me about it. You start acting like father bear to everyone for a while because you want to marry her and have kids," said Takai.

Neji suddenly turned an even darker red under his mask. He wanted to melt or at the very least disappear.

"So what's keeping you from asking her to marry you?"

Neji looked at him blankly for a moment under his mask, speechless. Then, finding his voice after a moment, he replied, "What's stopping _you_? You have a girlfriend too, as I recall."

Takai blushed, "We're not like that. We're together strictly for the benefits if you know what I mean. Its more of a relationship out convenience for me and protection from other guys for her."

Neji regained his composure, looking forward, "That's a shame. But stay away from Tenten."

Takai fell silent.

"I saw you that day at the hospital. Don't mess around with her. She's mine," said Neji.

On some level, Neji couldn't believe he was becoming so possessive, but he also knew that he didn't want Takai anywhere near her. If that meant bringing it up, then so be it.

"No offense, man, but…make me," replied Takai.

It was at this exact moment that Neji reactivated his Byakugan. Takai recoiled as Neji glanced at him. He always had the feeling that the black-haired, quiet man was looking into his very soul whenever he used that thing.

"What was that?" Neji asked firmly. His eyes were scanning the landscape ahead again. The girl wasn't too far away now.

"Fine," said Takai, "I'll leave her alone."

"Thought so," Neji mumbled under his breath.

Five more minutes of complete silence and they both came to a halt in a tree just above what appeared to be a small human figure, bent over, clutching its knees.

"Gure-taka, this is Karasu. Subject appears to be in sight. I'm going in," said Neji.

"This is Gure-taka. Position understood. Proceed," buzzed the headset back at him.

"Understood," said Neji.

Jumping down from the tree and landing on the ground in a crouching position, he watched as the small girl look up at him. Takai jumped down behind Neji, straightening up and remaining watchfully still. Neji straightened up as well and took Takai's lack of movement as a signal to go get the girl, himself.

"Its alright," Neji explained to the girl. "We're here to take you back to the village."

She shook her head defiantly, "I don't want to go back! Mom and dad always fight and I'm no good at anything. No one needs me."

Neji took a step closer to her. He knew that being outside the village for anyone was dangerous. But being outside it alone and too young to defend yourself, was deadly.

Neji kneeled down in front of the girl, resigning to the fact that he was going to have to be sensitive to her situation, "Your parents do need you. And they love you, or they wouldn't have sent us to find you."

The girl looked up at his face, looking straight into his mask. Seeing the leaf village symbol, she sighed, "But I can't even see your face."

"I'm sorry," said Neji, "but the mask has to stay."

The girl, Rina, looked down at her feet, "But I don't want to hear mom and dad fight anymore."

Neji knew that he was probably going to be going nowhere fast. Sighing, he leaned back and sat on the ground, propping both of his legs in front of him in case he needed to move quickly.

"And what do they usually fight about?"

"Everything," said the girl. "My dad always complains that I wasn't a boy and my mom tells him that because I'm a girl, I can do things that boys can't. Or their most popular one is when mom makes a mistake a dad won't let it go."

Neji frowned. Her father sounded cruel.

"Well, have you talked to either of them about this?" Neji asked.

She shook her head, "But it all started because of me."

Neji felt bad for the girl. She was so young, yet she blamed herself for something that probably had nothing to do with her at all. As she sniffled miserably, Neji leaned forward and hugged her.

"Its not your fault," said Neji. "They love you, they just can't show it all the time."

He didn't know this for sure, but he hoped it was true. In a sane world, it always would be. But as he let go of the girl, she nodded her agreement.

"Okay," she said.

"Karasu," said Takai from behind him, "we need to be going. We're picking up unwanted attention."

As Takai said this, he started to sense it to. There was someone there and it wasn't another member of his team.

"You ready to go?" Neji asked.

The girl nodded. As he planted his feet firmly on the ground, grabbed the girl tightly around the waist and started to jump off the ground, he felt a kunai pierce that back of his arm. Landing on a low branch, he felt pain surge through his elbow. Looking down, he saw Takai form a large ball of chakra in his hand and launch it out of his hand so that it cased itself in a firm dirt shell.

"Meteor Ball Jutsu!" Takai yelled as he sent electricity to circle like a ring on the already rolling ball. He jumped up into a nearby tree just before it exploded. Unsheathed a sword strapped to his back, he deflected a kunai that flew at him. Takai was the only known person alive who could perform the Meteor Jutsu technique. Even Neji had to admit that it came in handy from time to time.

"Lets go, Karasu!"

Neji quickly instructed the girl to get on his back. He didn't have time to look at the wound made by the kunai just yet, and he couldn't afford to be distracted. He had to get away from whatever attacked them.

"You're bleeding, Karasu," Takai said, looking over at him. The girl looked down to see the kunai sticking out of his arm, just above his elbow.

"Just a scratch," replied Neji.

"If you say so," said Takai.

The girl buried her face into Neji's cloak. The fabric was so soft and she was tired. Five minutes later, the girl was asleep and silence had fallen between the two men. The trees passed by uneventfully. Twenty minutes went by before Takai spoke.

"You know," said Takai at last, "If you're that soft and distracted tomorrow when we go after Snake and Akatsuki, you won't last long."

"Don't worry," said Neji, "there won't be any little girls to save tomorrow."

Takai grunted. Sasuke's group had long since abandoned Orochimaru, this much he knew well, but he still preferred to call it that. After all, that's why Sasuke left to begin with, wasn't it? Because Sasuke met Orochimaru? Even Tenten still referred to Sasuke through the Orochimaru reference. Still, he supposed that it was time that he started calling it by its proper name too. Still, even "Snake" seemed oddly close to Orochimaru somehow. After all, didn't Orochimaru use snakes?

"Hey guys," said a female voice as she came up alongside them.

"Hey, Nezumi," said Neji, glancing across to mask.

"Excellent timing. Go behind Karasu and take a look at his arm. he got hit by a kunai," said Takai.

Nezumi did as she was told and looked at the kunai in his arm as they continued to hop from one branch to the other.

"I can't tell," she said. "The fabric of the cloak is covering the wound."

"You seemed to have stayed in one place point six seconds too long, judging by the radius of the kunai from the outside of the arm," said a male voice as another masked leaf shinobi came in next to Nezumi.

"Nice of you to drop by, Nouzui," Neji said.

"Pathetic, you can't even complete a simple location and retrieval mission without getting hurt, Karasu. You disappoint me," said a harsh female voice as she came in next to Neji. Two other masked shinobi appeared next to Takai.

"I must say, Kaze is right. It is disappointing," said an older male voice.

"That's not nice, Gure-taka, he probably got hurt because he was trying to protect the girl," said another male voice.

"Ah, I guess we're all here then," said Gure-taka.

Rina stirred and looked up in response to all the new voices.

"Guilty as charged," said the male shinobi who had defended Neji.

"Not quite, sir. Maimu is still not here," said Neji.

"Honestly, you sure root for the losers, Inakamono," said Kaze.

"Be nice, Kaze," Gure-taka said.

"Excuse me," said Rina, her small voice barely carrying through the group. "I don't know anything about fighting really, but Karasu saved me. If his arm wouldn't have been there, that knife thing would have gotten me!"

Neji remained silent, he didn't much like being defended by a little girl, but he supposed that he had to take what he could get.

"She's right," said Takai reluctantly. "I saw it happen."

The group fell into an awkward silence and another shinobi stumbled alongside them.

"Sorry guys, I got lost," she said.

"Ah, Maimu! Nice of you to join us," Inakamono said happily.

"We're going to have to remember to give you a map when we go tomorrow, Maimu," Takai said sarcastically as the group jumped down from the trees. The gate was in view again.

"Masks off," said Gure-taka. Everyone did as they were told. Neji awkwardly pulled his mask off and put it on his belt under his cloak as pain seared through the kunai pierced arm that was holding up Rina. He groaned in pain. They slowed to a walk. Doubling over, he slipped his other arm back under the girl with some difficulty.

"Mr. Karasu?" Rina asked uncertainly.

Takai looked across at Neji and frowned. His red hair flamed in the sun.

"Hey, are you alright, Karasu?"

The other ANBU looked at Neji as well.

"Miss Rina, do you mind if I let you walk the rest of the way?" Neji asked through gritted teeth.

"I don't mind," she said.

"Neji? What going on?" Kouji asked.

Neji's arms gave way under Rina's weight and she slid off his back. Straightening up, he yanked the kunai out of his arm.

"Its nothing. I think it just hit a nerve," said Neji.

"Weakling," Kaze breathed.

"KAZE! Shut up or I'm making Maimu assistant leader instead of you! I'm trying to find out if a member of my team is seriously injured," Kouji said, finally losing his temper.

"Sorry, sir," Kaze said.

"Kouji, I'm fine. It was just a kunai after all," Neji said.

"We'll see about that when we go to the hospital with you," said Kouji.

Neji felt himself dreading the idea of going back to that place. And as they walked in the gate, he saw Tenten walking towards him. When she saw him, her face instantly lit up. His heart instantly sank. He hadn't told her that he would be leaving yet. And what would she say when she sees blood running down his arm? That evening was going to be a difficult night. He could already feel it.

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Okay, so this chapter took a lot longer than I wanted it too. Part of that was lack of motivation, part of it had to do with the stack of manga that came in from the library (among them the first volume of Dramacon…I highly recommend that manga series ;-) ). Part of it had to do with me writing some on another story, and the rest of it had to do with research. Happened to find out about the "Snake" thing just last night when I was researching on Wikipedia (greatest fan fiction help on the planet). Anyway, tell me what you think and thanks for reading. See you next chapter!


	7. In the Eyes of a Man

'Well, my cloak is ruined,' Neji thought as he sat down on a hospital bed, watching as a nurse dabbed the blood trickling down his arm. It had started to collect around his hand. Maimu flinched and looked away.

"I ask you, again," said Takai irritably. "Why are you a ninja if you can't stand blood, Aya?"

"That's not true," she protested.

Neji looked up at Tenten to see her watching him silently. Once again his shirt was off, though why the hospital staff forced him to remove it for a minor wound on his arm, Neji couldn't guess why.

"You alright?" Tenten mouthed.

Neji nodded. The doctor had already confirmed that the kunai had not been poisoned. Neji's gaze fell on Tenten's ankle once again. He could feel the nurse stitching the wound closed and tightly wrapping it with a bandage. Everyone's voices washed over him meaninglessly.

"Alright! That's it! " Kouji said at last, snapping Neji out his daze. "Everyone out!"

Maimu and Nezumi looked hurt, but slowly the entire team walked out the door with Kouji behind them. Tenten, Neji, and the nurse were now the only ones in the room. Neji looked back up at Tenten's face feeling oddly nervous.

"Tenten," he began slowly, "there's something…I need to tell you."

Tenten frowned, "What's wrong?"

Neji looked at his feet, while the nurse continued to bandage his arm, "The mission to go after Snake and Akatsuki…it…it starts tomorrow morning."

Tenten looked at him, then down at her own feet, "I see."

"All set," the nurse said, smiling after she finished bandaging the wound.

"Thanks," Neji said, pulling his shirt back on.

She nodded cheerfully, rising to her feet and leaving the room.

Neji rose to his feet as well and tilted Tenten's face up to look at him, "I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner."

Tenten looked to the side, "Orders are orders, right?"

Neji felt a pang of guilt rise in his throat. The truth of the matter was that he really didn't want to go on the mission at all, but it wasn't as if he had a say in the matter. Putting his arms around her, he pulled her to his chest, holding her for a moment. She did not hug him back. Instead, her arms hung idly at her side. As he reached a hand up to the back of her head and gently kissed her on the forehead, she raised a hand up to his chest and pushed him away, turning her head slightly to the side. Neji let his arms fall to his side as he watched her for a moment. It was painful. But…without another word, he walked out of the room, leaving Tenten alone. Stopping just outside the doorway, he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. He desperately wanted to hold her and tell her that he loved her, but he knew that it wouldn't help now. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and walked down the hallway of the hospital, pushing the door open to the outside.

After he arrived home and walked inside he saw that it was completely spotless, just as he had left it. There was something lonely about it. He was back from a mission and Tenten wasn't there with him. He threw his white, blood-stained cloak down on his bed. He would have to get a new one when he returned. Unfastening his mask from his belt, he sat down on the bed and stared at it. A raven…that's who he was…a caged raven. After a few minutes, he got up and made dinner, trying to force his mind away from Tenten.

'Who are these ANBU that we're joining with tomorrow?' he thought as he poured water into a pot and let it heat to a boil. He had met Doku when Kiba went into the ANBU a few years ago. The man was tough as nails, but he was kind. If anyone on his team was in danger, you could bet that he would be there to get them out, even if he was risking his own life to do it. Doku was one of the best leaders that Neji had ever seen. He was always the first one in, the last one out, the last one asleep, the first one awake, and the last one to eat. Kouji was considerate, but he didn't go out of his way the way Doku did.

Ken's group was known to be small, fast, and efficient. Under his command, they had successfully killed one of the Akatsuki a few years back. Each member of his four person team came back alive.

As far as Tategami went though, all Neji knew about her was that she was one of the very few female commanding ANBU. No one said much about her, but what they did say is that once you met her, you wouldn't forget her. Neji had once been told that she was an odd woman who couldn't be described, only experienced.

Dropping various sea foods and vegetables into the water as it boiled, he seasoned the soup carefully. When it was done, he ladled it into a bowl and was about to sit down at the table when he heard a knock. Setting his bowl down, he sighed, walking to the door. As he turned the knob and opened it, Shikamaru stared back at him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," Neji replied, surprised to see him.

"So you're leaving tomorrow?"

Neji took a deep breath, opening the door wider, "Come on in, I was about to have dinner. I could use someone to help me eat this. After all, I can't use leftovers for a while after tonight."

Shikamaru nodded and walked inside, "Thanks."

Two minutes later, Shikamaru and Neji were sitting at his table with bowls of a kind of seafood, soup in front of them.

"So, Tenten told you?" Neji asked, poking a piece of shrimp into his mouth.

"No," Shikamaru said. "Kiba did. But I have to say, she looked pretty down when she walked by me earlier. What are you going to do?"

"The only thing I can do," said Neji, looking down at his soup. "Go on the mission and try to forget about her for the time being."

"Isn't that a bit harsh?"

Neji shrugged, "I love her. But its either that or I get killed because I'm thinking about how upset she is with me. I can't worry about who she might be with or what she might think of me when I'm on a mission, you know that."

"Yeah," Shikamaru said, slurping an octopus tentacle, "but that still doesn't make it any easier. I worry about Temari all the time."

Neji looked up, "Don't. She can take care of herself. And you know why shinobi get killed all the time? Its because their mind is elsewhere. If your mind isn't with your body in the present, then anyone has full right to make you pay for it. You should know that well."

Shikamaru nodded, "Just make sure you don't die. I don't want to go to anymore funerals."

"I won't. I can't stand to see Tenten cry," Neji said.

Shikamaru chuckled, "Well, in any case, you should probably take a warmer cloak with you. Kiba's been saying the Akamaru can feel the weather starting to change already, and there's no telling how long you'll be gone."

Neji nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."

Shikamaru put the bowl to his lips and tilted it, drinking the liquid.

"So what about the other ANBU leaders?" Shikamaru asked, putting the bowl back down on the table.

"What about them?"

"Kiba said that he knew Ken and Doku pretty well, but he doesn't know what yours is like, and he hasn't heard anything at all about that woman."

"Gure-taka is straight forward. If you follow his orders and have your head in the battle, most usually your fine. As for Tategami. All know is that she's regarded as a bit eccentric."

"That doesn't help much. After all, look around, I can make people do whatever I want with my shadow, you have eyes that see through everything, Kiba has a dog the size of a bear, Sakura can break the ground in half, and Naruto has the nine-tailed fox living in his body. I wouldn't really call anyone we know normal…well…unless we're talking about Temari," Shikamaru said, ending in a blush.

"Or Tenten," Neji added, finishing his bowl of soup and placing it back on the table.

Naruto's secret had long since circulated through the entire village again, but his peers seemed to be much more accepting of his peculiarity than their parents had been.

"Actually, Lee's fairly normal too, isn't he?" Shikamaru said, frowning.

Neji raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "If you say so."

"Well," Shikamaru said, rising to his feet, "in any case, I should let you get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow."

"Yes," Neji said, also rising to his feet. He forced a smile.

"Good luck, Neji."

"Thanks," Neji said wearily.

"Well, thanks for dinner. I guess I'll see you when you get back," Shikamaru said.

"Yeah," Neji said.

Shikamaru nodded and started towards the door.

"Hey," Neji said, feeling a little awkward.

Shikamaru turned around, "What?"

"About Tenten. I know it isn't fair to ask you this, but I need a favor," Neji said.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "Sure. What do you need?"

"I left Tenten on a bad note because I didn't tell her that I was leaving until this afternoon. I can't talk to her right now because I think she's mad at me. But…if anything happens to me…"

"Neji, don't do this…"

"No, just listen. Nothing will happen to me. But just in case it does…make sure that she knows that I love her…and give her this," Neji said, handing him a sealed envelope.

Shikamaru nodded, taking the envelope and smiling sadly, "Just come back alive so I won't have to."

With that, Shikamaru opened Neji's front door and walked out, closing it behind him. Neji stared at the door for a moment before cleaning up the dishes in his dining room. Changing his clothes, he sat down on his bed, pulled the sheets over him, and opened a book he had been reading for a while. There were only a few pages left.

"_I'm sorry…" Ai said sadly, her gaze never leaving him._

"_For what? Its not like you did anything wrong," Ran said, calmly looking back at her. The chains rattled as he moved his arm. He had never admitted it to anyone, but he loved her._

"_They won't let you live," she said. Tears welled up in her beautiful blue eyes._

"_I know," he replied, watching her calmly._

_The time for her visit was running short and so was his life._

"_I could get you out and we could run away…together," she said hopefully._

_He smiled, "That won't do, my dear. I've committed a severe crime against the state. Now I have to pay for what I've done."_

"_Why? Its not as if you killed anyone!" She protested._

"_No," he agreed. "I haven't killed anyone."_

"_Then why?"_

"_Because if I don't do this, no one will ever understand. Everyone will keep pretending that the world is fine the way it is and its not," he said._

_She looked at her feet._

"_But you can't," she mumbled._

_Ran watched her guiltily. If he could move his arms, he would have put them around her and held her._

"_I love you, sensei," she said._

_Ran continued to watch her as she stood there, sobbing miserably. He was only about ten years older than her, but his knowledge rivaled scholars twice his age._

"_Ai," he said. "Come closer."_

_She did as she was told and took a few steps closer to him._

"_Closer," he said._

_She took another few steps towards him until she was only about two feet away._

"_Even closer," he coaxed._

_She stepped forward again, stopping just in front of his face. She was close enough to see the details in his eyes. But as she looked up at him in surprise, Ran bent forward, fighting against his chains. Turning his head to the side, he tenderly pressed his lips against hers. Getting over her surprise, she gently raised a hand to his cheek and kissed him back. She had been dreaming of a kiss with him for years now, but never believed it would happen. But now that it was, it was even better than she had imagined._

_Breaking the kiss, he stopped fighting the chains that bound his arms and leaned back again._

"_Time's up," said the guard._

_Ran smiled, "Just don't forget me, okay?"_

_Tears welled up in her eyes again, "I won't. I can't."_

_With that, she walked out sight and the guard locked the cell door behind her._

_That was the last time she ever spoke to Ran. The next morning he was executed in the public square. But because of his sacrifice, a new breed of thinkers rained in Tichtnia. The diabolical government crumbled beneath their feet. But Ai never did forget Ran. When it came time for her own death almost seventy years later, she wrote it in her will that she wished to be buried next to her master, Ran. Its said that Ran can occasionally still be seen with her, in spirit, walking hand-in-hand underneath the sakura tree where they were buried._

Neji closed the book and set it on his night stand. Turning off the light, he laid down on his bed, staring at his ceiling. He closed his eyes, trying to force the troubled thoughts out of his mind. Tenten immediately popped into his head. She stared back at him with a sad look on her face.

'_Can't you see…that I love you.'_

'_I'm leaving tomorrow…'_

'_I see…'_

'_I love you'_

'_So…what happened to Ino and Choji anyway?'_

'…_Ino and Choji were killed pretty much instantly…'_

'_So, we're all going?'_

'_No, just me and a few other teams…'_

'_Neji your not listening…your not listening…can't you see I love you?'_

'_I love you…'_

'_Orders are orders…'_

_Shikamaru suddenly appeared._

'_Just don't get killed…'_

'_If something should happen to me…make sure she knows that I love her…'_

'_Just come back alive so I don't have to…'_

_Tenten and Shikamaru turned and walked away from him. He tried to stop them, but found that he couldn't. He couldn't move._

"_Shikamaru! Tenten! Tenten, come back! TENTEN!!!"_

His eyes popped open. Leaning forward slowly, he found that he was winded and drenched in cold sweat. Closing his eyes for a moment, he pulled his fingers through his hair. After a few minutes, he caught his breath and opened his eyes again, looking around. Through the window, he could see the sun just starting to rise. In a few hours, it would be time to leave. Getting out of bed, he bathed, put on a new set of clothes, and prepared breakfast. What made this mission so much different than all the other ones he faced? Was it because it would probably be quite a long time before he saw Tenten again? The lack of information? The enemy? Forcing the thought out of his mind, he put the food on the table and started eating. A feeling that reminded him of Tenten nagged at him uncomfortably, but he was afraid that she was still mad at him. Besides, it was barely dawn, he thought, trying to come up with an excuse. It was no use. He missed her already and he hadn't even left yet. Quickly, he finished breakfast and washed the dishes. He pulled the covers neatly back over his bed and moved his bonsai tree into plain view. Over the last year, the miniature tree had grown into a fair-sized plant. He still couldn't believe that he owned the thing, but it had been a present from Tenten the year before, so he had loved it and taken care of it the way he loved and took care of her.

As he collected all the things that he needed for the mission, and stuffed them into his pack, he came across a very old picture of him and Tenten together. He had been asleep and Tenten looked as if she might've been stroking his hair. Lee took it as a joke, and of course Neji had been furious at the time, but in the end, he ended up keeping the picture. Stuffing it in the pack with everything else, he fastened his mask to his belt and draped the black cloak over his shoulders, clipping the fabric together at his throat. He had taken Shikamaru's advice and was using his warmer cloak. His eyes drifted over the room, making sure that he didn't forget anything. Once he had secured everything in his pack, he drew the string on the top of it shut and tied it securely to a clip underneath his cloak, located just below his shoulder.

It wasn't quite time for him to report yet, but he still had one thing that he had to do. Walking to the door, he took one last look inside and closed the door, locking it behind him. He immediately strode off, into the streets of Konoha, his black cloak trailing behind him.

Stopping in front of a wooden door with several different flowers planted next to the walkway, he stared at the door for a moment before bending down and setting a small envelope on the doorstep. Little, though, it was. It contained a key to his house, a hair clip that Tenten had lost sometime the year before and he had managed to find by some miracle, and a short letter. Straightening up, he gave the door one last, longing glance before turning and walking away.

When he arrived at the assigned meeting place there were already people there, talking, going through their packs and looking around to see who was going to be leaving. A young female shinobi of no more than seventeen caught his eye. She was stuffing a sandwich in her mouth and latching the clasp on her cloak together at almost the same time. A boy who looked just slightly older, stood in front of her, nervously watching her. As she swallowed the sandwich, she leaned forward and kissed him. He smiled, saying something to her and she nodded in return, giggling happily. Neji's heart ached. Looking away, he decided to busy himself with checking to make sure he had everything. But he had only gotten about halfway through his pack when a familiar voice called out his name.

"Oy! Neji!"

Neji's head immediately popped up. Looking around for who had called his name, he turned his head a few times before he saw a brown-haired boy with a shaggy haircut and a white dog walking beside him the size of a bear.

"Kiba," Neji replied in surprise, straightening up.

"Haven't seen you around lately. Still after Tenten?" Kiba asked, mischievously.

Neji smiled sarcastically, "Yeah. Still after Hinata?"

"Why do you keep asking? You know the answer is always no," Kiba replied.

"As long as you keep asking me about Tenten, I'll keep asking about Hinata. After all…one of these days you may say _yes_." Neji said, shoving his things back into his pack.

"You're so odd," Kiba said.

"Says the man with a giant white bear as his best friend," Neji said, straightening up again.

"That hurts, Neji. Poor Akamaru." Kiba looked down at his dog, "You gonna take that, buddy?"

The dog suddenly bore its teeth at Neji before returning to its previous calm composure. Neji merely glanced at Akamaru and shrugged.

"I aim to disappoint," Neji said.

Kiba sudden got serious, "So, how have you been?"

"Not bad," Neji said. "Tenten and I are together now."

"That's good."

"I'm finding myself in a bit of a rut with this mission. I think I may have really fallen for her hard this time," Neji said.

"I knew it was gonna happen sometime. I'm happy for you," Kiba said, smiling.

"Thanks…I guess," said Neji.

"Alright," boomed a voice from behind him.

Neji turned around to see Doku standing on a tree stump.

"My team, raise your head," he said.

All seven members did as they were told and raised a hand. Kiba raised two hands to indicate that he had Akamaru with him. Doku pointed a finger in the air and started moving it around, counting the hands. Stepping down from the tree stump, he was immediately replaced by a tall slender man with spiked black hair. He had to be Ken.

"Hands," Ken said simply.

His four person team rose their hands in the air. She shot his only female member a nasty look.

"Lose the attitude, Karin," he said.

With that he stepped off the tree stump. Kouji was next.

"Lets see them," he said. Neji, Takai, Maimu, Nezumi, Kaze, Inakamono, and Nouzui raised their hands.

Satisfied, Kouji stepped off the stump. A very thin woman stepped up to replace him. Her hair was blonde with white and blue streaks and fanned out like a peacock at the back.

"My group. Hands up now!"

Immediately, six hands shot in the air. She gave a curt nod and stepped off the tree stump. Neji was beginning to understand why everyone thought that Tategami was so odd.

"Now, if everyone's ready, we'd like to begin the mission," said Doku, stepping back up on the tree stump.

There was a loud uproar of cheering at this moment. Neji turned his head for a moment to look behind him. There, standing in the street behind him was Tenten. She looked as though she had just woken up and hadn't even bothered to change out of her bed clothes, but she was there. Neji felt his heart lighten. Spotting him, she smiled. He turned back to Doku, becoming aware that he was probably missing something important.

"…through the pass. Don't worry. If you do get lost, just follow the person in front of you. You have five minutes to make any last minute arrangements. Go!"

Neji instantly turned around and started towards Tenten.

"I thought you weren't going to be here," he said when he reached her.

She showed him the letter he had put on her doorstep earlier that morning, "Thank you."

Neji smiled, spotting the clip in her hair, "Just don't forget to water my bonsai or it'll die while I'm away."

She nodded, putting her arms around him. He gently placed his arms around her too. They stood there like that until the other ANBU started to migrate towards the woods. Neji released her, as did she him. Letting her arms fall to her side, she looked up into his eyes. He merely smiled back at her.

"Take care," he said.

She forced a smile, "See you when you get back."

He nodded, unfastening his mask from his belt. Turning away from her, he put his mask on his face and broke into a run alongside the rest of the ANBU that had started to leave the village. He only looked back once, but afterwards, he never regretted it. Seeing her standing there, staring after him…he was completely certain that she really did love him.

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Okay, so, how was it? Not quite as bad as the last chapter. But now the fun begins…see you next chapter. :-)


	8. Choosing Teams

_Okay…before I go any further, I seemed to have confused a few people…so here's my explanation. As for the joke with Kiba and Neji in the last chapter…Naruto & Hinata are already together at this point. At some point before Kiba and Neji joined the ANBU Kiba started nagging Neji to get a move on with Tenten. Neji got annoyed and started joking about Hinata and Kiba getting together because they had always been on the same team together. It was more just payback for Kiba joking about Neji and Tenten. Confusing, yes, but I have it all up in my head…and now you know. :-)_

* * *

_**Tenten,**_

_**By the time this letter reaches you, I may already be gone from Konoha. To be fair, you have every right to be furious with me. After all, I knew I would be leaving for some time. But in my defense, the timing to let you know just never seemed right. I suppose I got carried away. But whether you stay mad at me or not, just know that I love you…and when I come back, I'll still love you. Strange how much easier it is to say when I write it on paper.**_

_**Take care while I'm away and don't be too rough on your ankle. Remember, it still has a ways to go before it heals completely.**_

_**-Neji**_

_**P.S. I've enclosed a key to my house inside. If you don't mind…my bonsai probably needs some care while I'm away. Also, I found your hair clip. I was going to give it to you later, but now seemed like the right time.**_

* * *

The first two days on the mission went by without a hitch. The weather had been clear and there was no enemy to speak of. But on day three, it all started to go wrong. At twelve a.m. sharp that morning, it had begun to rain. At first it wasn't so bad. The rain remained light for a good hour or so, but just when the fours teams of ANBU were just starting to feel slightly uncomfortable underneath their cloaks, the rain started pouring down. Doku immediately made them stop. As quickly as possible they set-up camp, but by the time Doku and Ken had tied two gray tarps together and secured them to the surrounding trees to offer them some shelter, all the ANBU were soaked to their skin. Getting a fire going was impossible. The trees were too close together and the wood was all waterlogged. Several shinobi resorted to hanging their cloaks on logs and using various fire Jutsu just to the side of it to make it dry faster. After that was done, they would wrap the cloak around themselves and slip out of their wet clothes and into slightly damp ones that had been inside their packs.

"This is downright ridiculous," Takai said as he positioned his cloak and Neji's cloak side-by-side on a tree branch. Making the hand-signs for the Fireball Jutsu, he took a deep breath. Careful and controlled, he let out a steady stream of fire. When he stopped, Neji walked over to his cloak and touched the fabric.

"Yeah, its dry. Thanks," Neji said, about to take it from the branch.

"Don't take them off just yet," he said. "We can use them as a screen while we change."

Neji nodded, reaching in his pack for a less wet pair of clothes. They were on the edge of the camp, so as long as they stayed behind the wall of fabric made by their cloaks, they could change clothes without being seen.

"Neji," said Kouji, walking up on the other side of their cloaks. Neji pulled a shirt over his head and looked over at Kouji.

"Yeah?"

"Your on guard duty with Haruki from Ken's group tomorrow night."

"Will do," Neji said.

Takai finished pulling on his clothes as well and they both took their cloaks from the tree. As Takai threw his cloak back on, the tattoo on his arm suddenly glowed. Without warning, he fell forward, passing out. Neji looked around just in time to see Takai start to fall and strode forward, catching him before he hit the ground.

"Takai! Hey! Takai, speak to me… You alright? Hey! Takai!"

Neji took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. He put one arm under Takai's neck and the other arm under his knees, lifting him off the ground. Walking closer to the center of camp, he immediately started attracting more attention.

"What happened?" Maimu said, spotting Takai and pushing through the crowd of ANBU that was starting to form.

"He put on his cloak and then he passed out. Where's Kouji?" Neji asked.

"Uh…" Maimu stuttered, looking around in panic, "I don't know…"

Above them, the four leaders stood in a nearby tree, each on a different branch. The rain beat down on them and dripped off their clothes, but they continued to talk to each other calmly.

"That's just the problem. At this point we have to make a decision. We can either try to go after Akatsuki or head towards Snake," Doku said.

"I vote we go to Snake. We already know what's in the Akatsuki and who they have. I don't know about you, but I'm not too eager to lose half my team again," Kouji said.

"Logical to go after Akatsuki first, yes, but I have to agree with Kouji. Akatsuki is very dangerous. I vote we go to Snake first. That way if it was Sasuke who survived, we won't make our squads even more tired by taking an unnecessary detour," said Tategami.

"Either way…we're taking a chance. Whether we go towards Snake or towards Akatsuki first, there's still a chance that we could be wrong. Still, I'd rather have a shot at them than Snake," Ken said quietly.

"It's a non-issue. Since everyone already has a preference, we'll break into two teams. Ken's team will come with mine and we'll go after Akatsuki. Kouji and Tategami will go after Snake. As soon as you've completed the mission, go back to the village. Don't wait for the other two teams," Doku said.

"Logical and efficient. Agreed," Tategami said.

"Now, the next order of business. We need to look through all the supplies we have and figure out which supplies are needed where. We know that Snake has moved into a potentially wet location. Akatsuki keeps moving around in the desert, which means that we need to trade supplies with—"

Ken suddenly seemed distracted by something. The other squad leaders looked at him curiously.

"Something wrong?" Tategami asked.

"Something's going on below us. I'll be back," Ken said, jumping from the tree branch and landing on the soggy ground below.

Walking over to the mass of ANBU, Ken lowered his hood and pushed his way through the crowd. Water dripped off his clothes and hair as he walked.

"What's going on here?" Ken asked.

Neji turned around to come face to face with the sturdy man.

"I need to find Kouji," Neji explained. "One of my teammates passed out on me."

Ken surveyed Neji and Takai and nodded, "Kouji's busy. I'll help you in his place."

Neji was stunned. Ken struck him initially as a tough man who would tell his squad to suck it up and get the job done. But he was actually a lot nicer than most people gave him credit for.

"I need a medical shinobi!" Ken called into the crowd.

From somewhere in the back a hand shot up and with some difficulty the person it belonged to began to push through the crowd to get to them. It was Nezumi. Neji looked relieved to see her.

"Follow me," Ken said, pushing his way back through the crowd. Neji and Nezumi followed. Ken quickly led them to an abandoned edge of camp where the squad leaders were meant to be sleeping. As the crowd followed then, Ken looked around and gave them all a nasty look.

"Where do you think your going? There's nothing to see!" Ken snapped. "Go back to your equipment!"

The crowd of ANBU stopped in their tracks, dazed.

Ken's eyes narrowed, "Now!"

The crowd dispersed immediately. Ken looked back at Neji and indicated to set Takai on a blanket that had been laid out on the ground. Ken took his sopping cloak off and hung it over a branch to hide them from the prying eyes of the other ANBU. Nezumi bent down and examined Takai as Neji and Ken looked on anxiously. Nezumi turned his left hand over to reveal the glowing tattoo and looked up at Ken.

"I believe you know more about this than I do, sensei," she said.

Ken bent down and put a hand on Takai's forehead. Neji looked on, more confused by the second.

"Come on, Tai," Ken whispered, grabbing the boy's hand and stroking his hair.

Neji's looked on, uncomprehending. What was going on.

"Tai," Ken said, "come on, you can fight this. Don't let it take hold of you."

Nezumi helplessly watched Ken. Then looking up, she caught Neji's gaze.

"Ken's Takai's father," she explained.

Neji looked up at Nezumi then back down at Ken. Why had Takai never mentioned him? Or better yet, what was wrong with him?

The dragon tattoo on Takai's arm glowed even brighter for a moment before it went back to its regular ink-like form. Takai took a deep breath in and slowly opened his eyes. He stared at Ken for a moment.

"Dad? What happened?"

Ken sighed with relief, releasing his son's hand and putting it back on his chest.

"You were having an episode," Ken explained. Takai slowly rose into a sitting position, running a hand over his face.

"I haven't had one of those since I was twelve," Takai said. Looking to the side he spotted Neji. "Hey, man. You're looking confused."

Neji stared at him and nodded, "Slightly."

Takai grinned, "You didn't explain it to him Nezumi?"

He turned his head to look at her and she shyly stared at the ground in front of her feet, shaking her head. Looking back at Ken, Takai chuckled.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes? Didn't even have time to dry off?"

A ghost of a smile spread over Ken's face, "I was in a meeting with the other squad leaders right before…so, no."

Takai slowly rose to his feet, still feel slightly light-headed, "Get some rest dad. It doesn't do your team any good if your too tired to make orders."

Ken watched Takai as he, Neji, and Nezumi left to go back to their equipment and rest. Part of him wanted to be the father that Tai needed, but it wasn't a father that Tai wanted.

Takai looked over at Neji, "You're wondering what that was about, right? When I was younger I used to play around a lot. Got myself into all kinds of trouble. Then I tried fusing water, fire and electricity together into an attack. I was too young and stupid to really understand the hazard behind something like that. It stopped my heart for a good minute until dad used another electric attack and shocked my heart again. Since then, I'll have episodes where I just black out for no reason because heart starts beating shallow. When that happens the tattoo on my arm glows because I'm using mass amounts of chakra to keep my heart beating. I've only had it happen three times, but it hasn't happened to me for almost seven years."

"So, what your saying is, you could die at any moment?" Neji frowned. The thought actually bothered him.

Takai nodded, "Theoretically, yeah…but I'd have to run out of chakra completely first. The thing that worries me is the idea of it occurring while I'm fighting. If that happens, I'm a goner. Still, the ANBU is my life. Can't live your life right without a little risk, right?"

Neji nodded. And what a big risk they were taking with this mission. Somewhere deep in the very back of his mind, Neji wondered if any of them were really coming back alive.

While Neji slept that night, the rain continued to fall until just after dawn the next morning.

"Hey Karasu," said a familiar male voice as someone shook him. Opening his eyes, he could see Takai standing over him.

"Nn…"

Takai put one extra canteen and an extra two weeks worth of rations in front of Neji.

"What's all this?" Neji asked, looking at them as he rose to a sitting position.

"Our extra supplies. We're going after Snake with Tategami's team. Ken's and Doku's teams are going after Akatsuki," Takai said.

This was not at all comforting to Neji. In his mind, Ken and Doku were the best leaders out of the bunch. If they both left for Akatsuki, that left them with Tategami's team whom he didn't know anything about and of course his own team. Still, it seemed that they wouldn't be separating into different teams until the next morning. But as the day droned on, he couldn't help but start to feel a little homesick. For just over three entire days he had managed to almost completely force Tenten out of his mind, but now that the road was becoming a possible danger again, he couldn't help but think of her. He missed her. He missed talking to her and holding her. But as thoughts faded away, he found himself sitting in a tree just above the evening camp.

"Hey," said a short man with silky shoulder-length brown hair. His left eye was sewn shut, but his right eye was brown. He wore no mask, only a white vest with two twin swords strapped to his back, the leaf village headband tied just over his eyebrows. Neji silently wondered where his mask and cloak had managed to disappear to.

"Hi," said Neji.

He sat down next to Neji, "I'm Haruki, your partner guard for tonight."

Neji nodded, "I'm Karasu."

"Nice night, isn't it?"

Neji nodded. He hated small talk. If someone needed to say something, they could either make it worth his while or at least attempt to add more information than simply something on the lines of, "how's the weather?"

"So, your from Ken's team, right?" Neji said. Deciding that it was going to be a boring night unless he started a real conversation.

"That's right," he said kindly.

"What's he like?"

"He doesn't talk much. But whenever he does its mostly to tell us to do something before, during, or after a battle."

Neji frowned. That didn't sound like the man he had met the night before.

"He doesn't say anything if you get hurt?"

Haruki shook his head, "Its not that. He cares. He gives us orders to make us stay alive. We know that. And whenever someone is unable to fight any longer, he makes getting them to safety his first priority. He's just not the friendliest guy is all."

Neji looked out towards the forest, "Kouji is a bit like that as well. Only…I'm not sure he really knows how everyone in his group fights. Most of the team work plans come from elsewhere."

Haruki let out a yawn, "Still, I'm not looking forward to going after Akatsuki again."

Neji nodded. He wouldn't be looking forward to it either. He had had a small taste of them when he was around sixteen, and he didn't like them then either. Still, at least he knew what they were capable of. With Snake, he had no idea.

"I don't envy your team though. Your going after Snake, right?" Haruki said.

Neji gave him a quick glance before looking back at the forest in front of him, "If Sasuke's dead it won't matter. If he's alive, though…knowing how strong his brother is…or was…the result could be disastrous."

"Its not Itachi that scares me," Haruki said after a long pause. "It's the fact that all the Akatsuki are at least as good as him, if not better."

Neji thought about this for a moment. It was true, Itachi wasn't the leader of Akatsuki. He was just a member. Whereas, Sasuke was known to be the leader of Snake, and known to have at least a few companions with him at all times. He looked up at the starry sky. It wasn't like him to be afraid, but what they were about to do was in his opinion, quite foolish.

"How did you get out alive last time?"

Haruki turned his head to look at Neji, "We kept a cool head, followed Kouji's orders, and used our techniques in combinations together."

"And you killed one of them."

"Yes. We killed Kisame…Itachi got away though. Supposedly he's been replaced by someone who can possess individuals at will. Much like Miss Ino, accept that he can use his own body while he does it. It's a bit like puppet mastery, only the person can speak, but doesn't have control over what they say."

"In other words, no one accept the person who is doing the possessing and the person who's possessed knows that its happened until its too late," said Neji.

"Precisely."

"But that's not all he can do, is it?"

"No. And supposedly it's a girl."

Neji raised an eyebrow, "Itachi working with a girl? That's something worth seeing. Especially since their techniques are so similar."

Haruki smiled, "I'll be sure to let you know what she looks like. But as for techniques being similar, yes and no. They say she has some rare physical techniques up her sleeve too."

Neji nodded slowly, his eyes still glued to the trees around him. Silence fell between them and the night wore on. At some point Haruki had put his black cloak on. The night had gotten much colder than expected.

The next morning, the entire ANBU camp woke just as the first light started to creep through the treetops overhead. By the time the sun was all the way up, everyone was already on the move. Splitting up into two groups, Ken's and Doku's groups went one way and Tategami's and Kouji's groups went another. Neji had never felt so sorry to see Kiba leave him, but there was nothing for it but to keep going forward. For the next five days the terrain changed at a constant rate. The weather seemed to have started to take its first hint of fall, and no one slept much. It was during this time that Neji often wondered if the leaders even knew where they were going. On the sixth morning, however, they started to see small signs of shinobi fights. The landscape was torn in odd ways and trees were carved up around them. They were close now.

Kouji suddenly stopped. The other ANBU did as well. With a hand signal from Tategami, they spread out to hide in the trees behind the branches, ever watchful of the situation. Then Neji saw what it was. Several feet below them, a lone shinobi with white hair stood calmly. There he was, the first recruited member of Snake, Suigetsu.

Looking across, he could see Kouji give several hand signals. Maimu, Kaze, and two other shinobi from Tategami's group threw kunai at Suigetsu but they went right through him. He looked up, a slight frown on his face. Maimu put two cards down in front of her and made several hand signs. Jumping from the tree she put her hand to the ground and a pillar of hot steam rose in front of Suigetsu. Neji looked for Kaze and the other two shinobi. One of Tategami's boys landed behind Suigetsu and blew fire at him at the same time Kaze walked out of Maimu's wall of steam. Suigetsu smiled and melted into a puddle of water on the ground. It was then that the second shinobi from Tategami's group landed. Her blue eyes, just visible under her mask, suddenly turned yellow. The puddle that Suigetsu had melted into and had begun to disappear into the ground immediately stopped. He was stuck.

Fascinated, Neji almost missed Kouji's signal to keep moving above the battle. Within seconds, the battle was left behind them and they were back on their way. Several minutes later, they came upon the second member of Snake. His brown hair was short and messy, and as he brushed his left hand over his face and put it down in his lap a bracket-shaped symbol could be seen on its palm. Something was wrong. For Jugo to be out of confinement, and alone…it just didn't happen. Someone already knew that they were coming. Neji looked across to see Kouji give a few more hand signals and Tategami do the same. Again, Kouji did not look at Takai or Neji.

Instantly, Nezumi, Nouzui, and two more of Tategami's team jumped down from the main group. Jugo was sitting just outside the forest area, his back to the hilly land beyond. He could see a curtain of leaves engulf Jugo forcefully before Kouji signaled the rest of the group to keep going. There were only seven people left. There was still two more members of Snake to worry about. The red-haired Karin, ironically, and Sasuke—if he was still alive.

Time went by slowly. Ten minutes later as the rest of the team continued through the trees, Sasuke and Karin were still nowhere to be found. The wait was making everyone feel on edge. Neji knew what would happen though if they did meet Sasuke. He and Takai would be taking him on with Kouji and Tategami. Inakamono and Tategami's two remaining shinobi would be taking on Karin. Then as the trees in front of them began to thin he could hear a voice from a distance.

"Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"

Fire suddenly rained down like bullets through the trees. He pulled to the right to avoid it just as the rest of the ANBU did the same. Takai looked over at him and Neji knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Little bastard beat his brother," Inakamono said in a low voice a few feet over.

Cautiously, they continued forward. Suddenly the trees in front of them stopped, revealing a flat desert area and a cliff about forty feet off. Sasuke, alive and looking well, was standing about fifteen feet away from the forest with Karin right next to him. Both of them were facing the group of approaching ANBU. Karin had located them long before they even got there.

"I haven't used that in a while," said Sasuke to Karin, seeming to be in an unnatural good mood.

It was now or never…

* * *

_Okay. I know its been forever since I've updated. Been busy, and I'll only get more busy. But hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon. Anyway, hope you liked it. Bye all!_


	9. SNAKE

Seeing no point in continuing to pretend that they were surprising anyone, the group of seven ANBU landed just outside the trees, fully cloaked and masked. Karin and Sasuke looked over each of them calmly, a small grin finding its way to his face. The Sharingan were visible now. Neji chanced a glance at Sasuke's face and several images of Tenten flashed through his mind. He closed his eyes instantly. The images stopped just as abruptly as they had started. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Takai's grip on the sword strapped to his back tighten. Apparently Sasuke had gotten even stronger since the last time Naruto's team had come face to face with him.

"I recognize one of you already. How is Tenten, Neji?"

Neji let out a strangled breath. Somehow Sasuke had probed his mind.

"Enough," said Takai. He drew his sword completely. "Karasu…"

Neji nodded. He understood what Takai was about to do, completely. He could vaguely see the tattoo on Takai's hand start to glow as chakra engulfed the blade of the sword. Takai gave the sword one quick, meaningful swing and chakra flew off the blade towards Sasuke. Giving little effort, Sasuke drew his own sword and swung it perpendicular to the oncoming chakra blade. Instantly, the chakra blade bounced back towards the group of ANBU. Neji stepped forward and spun like a top just before it hit him. In an instant, the chakra blade dissipated.

"How pathetic!" Karin said. "Right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't answer.

Takai had only used to attack to test Sasuke, but the result troubled him. To repel any chakra attack, a normal shinobi would need an equal chakra defense, chakra attack or a special technique. Somehow, all Sasuke needed was a sword…a solid weapon that required neither chakra nor special technique. As Neji began to think over this, Sasuke began his next move. A long brown snake coiled itself around Sasuke's arm and extended in the air towards the ANBU. Tategami immediately started making hand signs. Seconds later, the approaching snake was met by a whip made of leaves. Her chakra reinforced it, forcing the snake back.

As Tategami did this, Neji could see Inakamono making hand signs behind his back. Since they had arrived there, his eyes hadn't once left Karin. Neji knew exactly what he was up to, and as soon as Karin looked his way, she'd be done for. Sure, he'd have to remove his mask before it could take full affect, but his identity was a small price to pay if the technique worked. Just as long as Sasuke wouldn't be allowed to get involved. Just as long as once it started…Sasuke wouldn't be able to rescue her.

Then it happened. Before Neji had time to raise a hand. Before he had time to cry out. Before he eve had time to blink. Sasuke was right in front of him. One solid, controlled lighting enforced punch and Neji was on the ground. Turning his head to the side, he spat out blood. Actions and movements came together in seconds. He made a spinning motion and was back on his feet with his hands in position to strike. He had seen Inakamono leave the other ANBU in the moment that Sasuke had left Karin's side and appeared in front of Neji. Takai had looked over and made a movement as if to help Neji, but Neji's blinking glance told him to remain still. Inakamono's mask was in his hands already. Karin was caught in his Hypnosis Jutsu and Sasuke didn't have a clue. Sasuke wasn't prepared for Neji's next attack. As Neji's hands flickered from point to point on Sasuke's body in soft, controlled movements, Sasuke began to move backwards to avoid his attacks.

Inakamono was close now. Karin was lifting the blade slowly to her own neck. In this respect, Neji thought his Jutsu should have been called "Suicidal Gaze Jutsu", but he supposed there was nothing for it but to accept that it already had a name.

Neji made himself concentrate on his one-on-one fight with Sasuke. He couldn't afford to be distracted. He couldn't afford to lose Sasuke's attention. There was a soft thump and Neji knew…either Karin or Inakamono was dead. Sensing more chakra coming towards him, he jumped out of the way in time to see Takai's Comet Sting sail past him towards Sasuke. Instantly, Sasuke seemed to disappear again. Takai's massive use of chakra into one attack had been a waste. Chancing a look towards the situation of Inakamono and Karin, he could see Karin lying on the ground, bleeding from the neck and Inakamono standing next to her. He had only begun to put his mask back on when Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of him and stabbed him through with his long sword.

"Why'd you go and do that? I actually liked her," Sasuke said as Inakamono collapsed to the ground, dead.

Neji stared at the scene in shock. On some level he had expected more from Karin, but at the same time, Inakamono had been one of the best. His techniques had been deadly and he had practiced constantly to make them flawless. But here, no more than five minutes into a battle, he was dead. What kind of a game were they playing and who's card would death call next? Neji could only recall being truly afraid of an opponent once before in his life. Ironically, it had been in an attempt to try and bring Sasuke back to Konoha. Tenten had been with him that day, and by some miracle he had made it out alive. But now…the same kind of fear pressed in on him…only Tenten wasn't there and he wasn't trying to retrieve anyone.

He could see Tategami attempt to make a shield of chakra and leaves appear in front of the two shinobi from her team, but she wasn't quick enough. Sasuke had already slaughtered one with a kind of ease that shouldn't have been. The other narrowly managed to dodge a deadly blow. As a Chidori lightning propelled attack came hurling towards him, he sacrificed an arm to get his body in the air. Now, Sasuke would be dealing with the people who knew him and his attacks best.

"Go back and wait for us in the forest. Stop before you reach Jugo. You can't help us anymore here," Tategami said to her injured shinobi. "I don't want to lose anymore lives."

The shinobi hesitated, but nodded and left. It was only Tategami, Kouji, Takai, and Neji against Sasuke now. For a moment, all was still. Sasuke stared at the ANBU and they stared at him.

Then in an instant, the battle resumed. Neji could see a combination of a chakra re-enforced leaf whip, fiery darts, and various kunai hurtle toward Sasuke. He jumped aside to avoid them. Neji took this opportunity to try and attack. He leapt into the air and landed just behind Sasuke, palm already outstretched. His hand was already halfway to Sasuke's body when the raven-haired man suddenly disappeared. Neji panicked. Sasuke was completely out of sight. Which could only mean one of two things. Either Sasuke somehow disappeared from the area or he was in Neji's blind spot. Neji spun around just in time to be met with a small dagger. It cut through his side, leaving excruciating pain in its wake. Neji shakily made himself try to remain calm. He saw several fiery darts rain down towards Sasuke and knew that Takai was making an attempt to help Neji, while Kouji and Tategami appeared to be distracted by something else…though what it was, Neji couldn't tell.

Neji forced himself to attack. His palms hit Sasuke in a gentle yet forceful fashion. He was glad he didn't have to hit Sasuke hard…at that point he probably wouldn't have been able to. Every movement sent a sharp pain surging through his side and chest. Sasuke suddenly punched him full blown in the face. He dodged the first punch, but was hit dead center by a second. He knew it had happened even before he saw it hit the dirt. His mask had shattered revealing a twenty-two year old Neji with silver eyes and black hair…a dagger now embedded in his ribs. Takai instantly appeared from the air, aiming a kick at Sasuke. He, however, easily dodged and nearly threw Takai on his face. Several vines and a casing of thick mud formed around Sasuke. Tategami and Kouji were trying to trap him.

Takai took the opportunity to seize Neji and pull him back behind Kouji and Tategami. Ignoring the ongoing battle behind them, Takai carefully set Neji's body against a tree and begun to carefully lift his cloak. As he did, the dagger snagged slightly on the material. Neji let out a sharp wheezing breath. Takai stopped immediately, watching Neji's expression change from brave acceptance to agony.

"Hurry up, Takai! We need you both back in the fight!" Kouji shouted, fending off a blow from the snake.

Takai hesitated, it was breaking his heart to see Neji in that much pain. From the time Neji had joined the team, they had been partners from the start. Sure, they had their differences, but Takai loved Neji like a brother.

"Just do it!" Neji shouted, snapping Takai back to reality.

Again Takai hesitated, but after a moment, he put his hand to the handle of the blade, making sure that he would be pulling exactly straight. He gave a swift tug and the dagger forcefully slid out of Neji side. Neji moaned softly in pain as Takai quickly cleaned and bandaged the wound. After the fight was over, the wound would need to be looked at far more thoroughly.

"Karasu…can you move?" Takai asked after a few minutes of bandaging.

Neji nodded and attempted to get to his feet. Takai immediately reached down to help. Less than a minute later, they were back in the fight.

Fiery darts rained down on Sasuke while vines and mud pressed in from other angles. Neji was having trouble moving fast enough to get at Sasuke, and even more trouble with trying to avoid everyone else's attacks while he was at it. His injury was slowing him down. Time for plan B.

Neji made several hand signs and attempted to make an area of immediate damage, but Sasuke was right outside it. Neji could feel several shuriken sweep past him towards Sasuke. As always, Sasuke dodged them with ease. Then, finally, Neji managed to get in front of Sasuke. Before Sasuke could react, Neji's palms were hitting points on his body. Neji was so close to hitting the last chakra points when Sasuke summoned a Chidori as a shield. Neji jumped away just on time. As small Chidori were thrown at him, Neji dodged them carefully. He could feel the heat of an approaching Meteor Jutsu. Vines came down to make a grab for Sasuke, but as soon as they did, the electricity of the shield swept through them and came back towards Tategami. She fell to the ground unconscious. That left Kouji, Takai, and an injured Neji to deal with the seemingly untouchable, invincible Sasuke.

"Takai, Karasu, we're done here," Kouji called as he rushed over to pick up Tategami. The mission had failed. Too many people had fallen. All they could do now was try to gather the dead and wounded and leave as quickly as they could.

Takai sent another wave of fiery darts at Sasuke while he gathered Inakamono and the other dead shinobi from Tategami's team. Neji began to make his way back to his retreating companions when he was met with two red eyes staring straight back at him. Images of Tenten flashed through his mind again. He forced himself to look away. It stopped instantly but he couldn't move forward. Sasuke had his shield around him.

Neji had to get away…he had to get back to his companions and leave the area…but Sasuke was refusing to let him. Sasuke was standing between Neji and his way back to the forest. Sasuke advanced and Neji backed away towards the edge of the brown earth. Sasuke threw a few more Chidori needles at him. He dodged the with some difficulty…but before he could regain his balance, Sasuke's foot collided with Neji's chest. Neji felt himself fly backwards as pain surged through his chest and side. He felt a small amount of blood leave his mouth. And then he saw the edge of the cliff disappear above him. He could hear someone calling his name overhead, but he could not concentrate enough to make the chakra go to the soles of his feet. He was falling and there was nothing he could do to help himself. His eyes closed and he felt the air brush past him.

"This is it…" he thought to himself, "Tenten…I'm sorry…"

* * *

Okay. Not quite done yet. Still have another few chapters to go before its done, but we're getting there. Anyway, see you next chapter:-) 


	10. Aftermath

"Gai-sensei, have you heard anything from Neji's team," Tenten asked hopefully, looking up at the black-haired man. His usual spunk was absent now. The weather had grown colder lately and it had been weeks since she had heard any news about Neji. It was true that she had been on missions of her own again and that had occupied some of her time, but even so. By the time she completed her third mission since sick leave after Neji left, she had begun to worry.

"No. Ken's and Doku's teams came back about a week ago, but none of them know anything about the fate of the other two teams," said Gai.

"Was Neji okay when they left him?" Tenten asked. She couldn't help but feel anxious.

"When they left them, Ken said that Neji was with his son, Tai. They both appeared to be fine. Their fate since then, however, is not known," said Gai.

"What about their teams? How many died?" Tenten asked, not really sure if she wanted to know the answer.

Kakashi walked up alongside Tenten, looking strained. His eyes traveled through the crowd, "Your talking about the group that went to Akatsuki? One died. Doku's second in leadership, Daiki Katsu. Itachi's partner killed him. Ironic since Itachi was killed by Sasuke."

"So, Itachi is dead then?" Tenten said, frowning.

"Yes, it would seem so. I suppose Sasuke finally got his revenge. Though I wonder what he has to live for now that its done," said Kakashi.

"Give it up, Kakashi. He's not coming back…" said Gai.

Kakashi gave him a sharp look, "I'm aware of that. I also would like you to know that I no longer wish him to come back. However, that doesn't change the fact that I still wonder how he's getting along. If you remember, he was almost like a son."

Tenten had never heard Kakashi speak so openly before. Was this how he and Gai always spoke when no one was watching?

Gai caught sight of a dazed look on Tenten's face, "You shouldn't worry. Neji's too stubborn to die."

Tenten couldn't help but laugh. Gai was right. In all the years she had known him, even when death was certain, Neji somehow survived. Somehow, someway, he always came back to her. Her throat tightened unexpectedly.

_"How about I save our first kiss for after my next mission…"_

He hadn't told her then that he would be gone this long. She desperately missed him. She wanted to hold him. She wanted to hear him speak…for him to smile when she spoke.

"But speaking of people that are like sons, how is Lee?" Kakashi asked.

"He's doing well. He might surpass me soon at the rate he's training. I always told him…if he tried hard enough, he'd make it and here he is. Although, he's been spending a lot of time with Miss Haruno lately."

"Only makes sense. They're together right?" Kakashi said.

"JUST IMAGINE IF MY LEE GOT MARRIED!" Gai glowed with the thought.

Somehow Tenten couldn't see Lee settling down with anyone any time soon, but maybe she was wrong. After all, just like Naruto, Lee had matured a lot in the last few years.

"Yes…poor Sakura…" said Kakashi.

"What was that, Kakashi?"

"I merely said that Naruto and Hinata seem to be heading that direction themselves. Although, I think it was a shock to the entire village when he stopped spiking his hair. Poor Hinata's face turned so red…Naruto said he was afraid she would faint on him again."

Kakashi chuckled, Gai let out a loud laugh and Tenten just stared at the two, listening to their casual conversation. Tenten remembered her own reaction when Neji stopped tying his hair back. It was a mix of mild astonishment and utter joy.

"I keep telling Lee to grow his hair back out, but he won't," Gai said.

"Because you haven't done it first," Kakashi said. And this was true. Lee rarely did anything that Gai hadn't already done first.

"I think its better now than it was when it was long," Tenten said quietly.

"There you go. A woman's opinion," said Kakashi.

"Why do you guys care so much about that kind of stuff anyway, its not as if you two are seeing anyone, is it?"

Kakashi shrugged, "I have not need to. I have all the family I'll ever need."

Tenten frowned. What was that supposed to mean?

"How do you know?" Gai asked, frowning back at her.

"It would just be odd to see you with anyone, that's all," said Tenten.

"And what about you and Neji?" Kakashi asked. His voice was surprisingly serious.

Tenten blushed, "We…uh…we got together not too long ago."

"REALLY!!!? THAT'S GREAT!" Gai erupted.

Kakashi merely gave her a sympathetic look as she blushed an even darker red.

"Good for both of you," Kakashi said.

Tenten stopped in mid-stride. There at the gate was a group of black-cloaked shinobi. They were hastily putting their masks away, trying to balance injured comrades on their backs and shoulders. Almost half of the group appeared to be carrying someone. She desperately searched the faces coming towards her for Neji, but she could not find him. Gai was already walking at their side when Tenten finally started walking towards them.

"What happened?" Gai asked.

Kakashi had walked over to the other ANBU to try and help with carrying the bodies. Tenten could see Takai's flaming red hair as he walked past Kouji with someone strapped to his back and an empty expression on his face.

"We managed to kill Karin and Jugo, but Sasuke and Suigetsu survived. We lost so many lives in that battle and we only have three that aren't sporting some injury…"

Looking closer, Tenten could see a potent bruise on Takai's forehead. She looked around again, but Neji was nowhere to be found. She had to know…

"Takai…" she said, stepping in front of him so that he had to stop.

In response, Kouji took whoever it was off of Takai's back. Takai gave a vague nod of thanks and looked back at Tenten with the same empty expression.

"Takai, where is Neji?"

The other ANBU walked past, paying the two of them little attention.

"Neji…died…"

Takai felt his throat close around the word and he swallowed hard, his eyebrows knitting together. Tenten stared back at him blankly for a moment.

"But…that can't be… Is his body here? I need to see his body!" Tenten demanded. She felt herself panic with disbelief. She felt numb.

"I saw him fall over the side of the cliff…our chakra was already so depleted…he couldn't pull himself to the side of the cliff wall and I didn't have enough to rescue him…even if I could've reached him in time."

Tenten stared at him, tears welling up in her eyes, "But then he could still be alive, right?"

Takai stared at her sympathetically. He knew her pain. He had felt it too. In fact, to some degree he still did.

"No," he said sadly. "He fell over four hundred feet…and I saw him…he was unconscious on the way down. No one could survive a fall like that. Not even him…"

"Its not true!" Tenten shouted. Tears began to spill down her cheeks now. Her fists were beating furiously against Takai's chest, but he made no attempt to stop her. He felt guilty about it all. He had not been able to save Neji…just as he could not comfort Tenten now. He felt more dirty that he had ever felt in his entire life. To be alive when Neji was not.

Tenten's hands flattened against his cloak and she started to sink to her knees. Takai followed her movement and kneeled in front of her, pulling her shaking, sobbing body into his arms. As he did, he felt tears run down his own face. He had done his best to hold in his emotions of the situation over the last several days, but now, he found that he could do so no longer.

They remained like that for a long time, completely unaware and unconcerned with the world around them. Right then and there, Tenten's world seemed to end. She could only remember small details of things that took place after that. Takai walked her to her home and after he left she changed into her sleeping robe. She couldn't sleep, however. She could only lay there and cry. Hours slowly ticked by. She wanted nothing to do with the world. It was over…Neji was gone…she had nothing left. Just like that, it all didn't matter anymore. Just like that, she had no one left to save her. Just like that…the life she knew was over.

* * *

Somewhere far away, silver eyes opened to see the rocky inside of a cave. Light shown from a few corners, illuminating the large cavernous space. The black-haired man that was Neji could hear rain hitting the rock heavily from the outside, but the cave itself showed no sign of leaking. He looked over to see a red-eyed man with shoulder-length black hair. Though he only wore straight black now, his black coat, covered with red clouds, shown vividly…even in the dim light.

"You're awake. Finally…" said the man. There was no excitement in his voice. No hint of enthusiasm at all. It was merely a statement.

"You're…Itachi…" Neji said, unable to make himself speak louder than a meaningful whisper.

"That I am."

"I thought you were dead…unless…I'm dead…"

"No. You and I are both still very much among the living."

Neji closed his eyes as a sharp pain surged through his side.

"I wouldn't move too much if I were you. My little brother's blade penetrated one of your muscles. You also have a few broken ribs and a broken collar bone."

"But why am I here? And with you?" Neji asked, very confused. Part of him was afraid, but another part of him somehow knew that he was not in danger. It was a feeling he couldn't explain.

"You fell from the cliff and nearly killed yourself on a tree below. I just happened to be passing by and saw the fight. Any enemy of Sasuke is an ally of mine. No matter how short the alliance lasts."

Neji stared at him for a moment. Was that why Itachi had saved him?

"But they said you were dead," said Neji.

"No. My little brother cannot defeat me so easily. Still, I figured it was well past time to extend my talents elsewhere."

"So you left Akatsuki?"

Itachi nodded, "Yes."

"You're much different that Naruto described you."

"Perhaps. But then…that boy never knew me. In fact…the only person who ever really understood me is dead."

Neji couldn't help but think that Itachi was a very strange person indeed. Even stranger than himself.

"What are you planning to do?" Neji asked.

"With you?" Itachi asked carefully eyeing Neji.

"Yes."

"Nothing. You'll be on your way as soon as your well enough. I can't pick up extra travelers for long. There's too much that must be done," said Itachi, looking out of the cave space at a sheet of falling rain just in front of the entrance.

"And you want nothing in return?" Neji found this too good to be true.

"There's nothing you can do for me that I can't already do myself," Itachi answered.

"I don't understand. You expect me to believe that you rescued me out of the kindness of your heart?"

"Believe whatever you want, but I have no heart left. Saving you this time had purely to do with our common goal of ridding the earth of my brother. He's become too powerful for my taste. However, if we should ever meet again when Sasuke is not involved…you will be my enemy too."

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Yay, almost done….one or two more chapters left! Anyway, I guess I'll see you next chapter! Bye all!


	11. Memories

Over the next week, Neji stayed in that cave with Itachi. The rain didn't let up for almost the entire time, and when it finally did, the ground was so water-logged that walking was a chore. It was on the tenth day, however that Neji woke to find Itachi gone. Apparently determining that Neji was no longer in danger of dying and that the woods were again possible to walk in, Itachi had taken off. This left Neji in the cave alone with a few blankets, a lamp, and an extra package of food that Itachi had left behind to help with the amount that Neji already had. Over the next few days Neji thought about why Itachi had been so generous to him. Itachi had been known to murder without a second thought. He had even killed his entire family and the rest of his clan, save his little brother Sasuke. But why had he not killed Sasuke? Had he really been that insignificant to Itachi back then, or had they just been that close?

Neji stared at the fire between him and the cave entrance, his still healing body propped against the cave wall. The temperature had plummeted in the last few days. He knew that he desperately needed to get back before it got much colder, but his injuries were preventing him from moving very fast. His broken collar bone was something that nearly restrained his movement all together. Still, before he could go anywhere, he first needed to know where he was. The only thing he had managed to get out of Itachi in the last week and a half was that he had taken Neji several kilometers away from where he had fallen, but the only way he knew to get back to Konoha was back over the cliff. The main problem with this was that, once he got back up he'd be back in Snake territory. With his injuries, he was still in no condition to defend himself if he got attacked again. As much as he hated the idea, he found that he had no choice. He had to stay put a few more weeks until he was able to move freely again. As soon as he got back up on the cliff again, though, he would have to make quick work of his journey. He couldn't risk running out of food or staying exposed for long in the cold weather. He just hoped that he would heal quickly. The longer he was gone, the longer Tenten had to accept that he was dead. He couldn't let that happen. He loved her too much to let it happen.

* * *

Sakura knocked on the door again, shooting Lee an apologetic look. He merely nodded and waited to see if Tenten would come to the door. She hadn't shown up for a mission in over a week and everyone was starting to get worried. Even at the mass funeral that had been held three days before, she had been so unresponsive to people trying to offer her condolences or a kind word that Gai had wondered if Tenten had somehow died with Neji even though her body was still alive. Still, ever since then, they went to see her every day. Just as they had suspected, she hadn't taken it well. She didn't look or smell like she had bathed recently and she always seemed to be in her bed clothes. Sakura wondered if she was even eating. The door swung inward revealing a small, thin woman with long, knotted brown hair and empty brown eyes.

"Tenten," Sakura said. "How are you?"

Tenten inclined her head slightly to one side, not saying a word. Sakura couldn't help but think that seeing someone like Takai might actually be good for Tenten, but even he had taken it much harder than anyone had expected. While it was true that he still went on missions, he didn't say much to anyone anymore. Everyone knew that he blamed himself for what happened, and somehow no one could convince him otherwise. Not even Kouji.

On one particular morning, Lee had spotted Ken saying something to Takai which quickly turned into a heated argument. All that resulted from it, however, was Takai stepping forward and sobbing into the older man's cloak.

Sakura watched Tenten, but when the brown-haired woman did not move, she took a deep breath.

"May we come in?"

Tenten nodded, stepping away from the door to let them inside. They walked in and closed the door behind them. Her house was painted in bright colors and had various plants strung from wall to wall. Sakura could already see that a few of the plants' leaves were beginning to droop from lack of water and proper sunlight. The shades had been drawn, leaving the place much darker than Sakura had ever remembered. It didn't suit Tenten to be depressed. Usually she was such a happy person.

"You'll be glad to know that they're sending a team to try and recover Neji's body. Lady Tsunade wants to give him a proper burial," Sakura said.

Tenten nodded but did not speak.

"They'll find him, Tenten. They're sending Kakashi's team this time, so there's no way that they'll fail," Lee said hopefully in an attempt to cheer her up.

Again, she merely nodded.

"Tenten…have you eaten anything today?" Sakura ventured.

Tenten slowly shook her head as her eyes fell to the floor. Sakura nodded and headed straight for the kitchen. Lee stood in front of Tenten uncomfortably. He wanted to comfort her, but he wasn't exactly sure what to say. After all, he had seen Tenten and Neji grow closer over the years. He saw the way that Tenten had looked at him and how he had started to look at her. He had been there when they had taken their ANBU picture and Neji had slipped his arm around her at the last second. Neji had loved Tenten just as Tenten still loved him. That much he was completely sure of.

"Have you decided what your going to do about the ANBU team?" Lee finally said.

Tenten shrugged, "I'm not going back for a while. I was thinking about resigning my alias."

Lee raised his eyebrows, "But you can't go back if you do that. Besides, this thing with Neji will pass. Eventually, you will want to go back and when you do, you don't want to be kicking yourself for a rushed decision you made when you were still mourning him."

Tenten's gaze became unfocused, "I'll take a time of leave I suppose, then."

Lee really wanted to believe that she would be okay, but by the way she was acting, even over a week after she had gotten the news, he really wasn't so sure. She was taking Neji's death much harder than anyone he knew had ever taken anyone's death. Even Shikamaru had handled the prospect of people he cared for dying, much better. But speaking of Shikamaru…

"Did you hear, about Temari and Shikamaru?" Lee asked, trying to change the subject.

Tenten slowly lifted her head and looked up to meet his gaze, frowning.

"Temari's having a son. Shikamaru's just about flipping out now that she's come to stay with him. She said that she gave the Sand village her maternity leave notice and left so that she could be there for Shikamaru at the funeral. He was so happy about her, staying though, that the whole funeral seemed to bounce right off him," Lee said, ending with a smile. This, however, did not have the effect on Tenten that Lee had been hoping for. Quite on the contrary, Tenten looked just as gloomy as before, but now, slowly turning away, she shuffled off towards the kitchen. Lee sighed, walking after her to get back to Sakura.

Two steaming plates were placed in front of Lee and Tenten when they sat down at the small brown table. A third plate ended up in front of Sakura as she sat down as well. It was completely silent for a long time before Sakura looked up to see tears filling Tenten's eyes. She frowned, getting up from the table and sitting next to Tenten. She put an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey," she said softly, "what's wrong? You okay?"

Tenten immediately started sobbing, "Neji…used to cook…all the time…"

Sakura looked over at Lee for help, but he gave her a slight shrug to indicate that he didn't know what to do. What could anyone do when even food sparked memories of Neji? Sakura gently pulled her sobbing friend to her chest so that she could cry on her shoulder. Lee watched them quietly, keeping his eyes locked on Sakura's the whole time. He knew what she was thinking. He was thinking it too. It would be a long uphill battle for Tenten. A battle that must be fought one day at a time.

* * *

Okay, one more chapter and its done! Whoohoo! Looks like I'm gonna get it done right before school starts. Anyway, hope you've liked it so far. Thanks for hanging in there so far. See you next chapter! 


	12. Returning to You

Tenten stared into her cup of tea as tears welled up in her eyes. It had been three months since she had gotten the news of Neji's death, and to some degree it was finally starting to sink in. Shikamaru had grieved for him just as he had for the others who left the world before him, but he now had a child on the way, which occupied most of his thoughts. Temari would be staying at Konoha for maternity leave over the next year to be with Shikamaru. Even with Lee, Gai, and everyone else who knew Neji, it seemed that his death had hit her hardest of them all. The pain of doing things on a regular basis that he had always been around to do with her before, ate at her constantly. She didn't want to do anything. She had temporarily left the ANBU to have some time to find herself again. So far, she had succeeded in nothing more than staying in doors and moping around. She had gotten very thin and pale in the last three months. It was partly due to her lack of motivation to cook or even eat regularly. While it was true that occasionally Sakura and Lee would come by to check up on her, or Gai would drag her out of the house to have a bite to eat with him, she rarely said or did much of anything. After the first week, she had successfully dragged herself out of bed and bathed and had continued to do so regularly from then on, but everyone had to admit that it was meager progress. 

Clutching the picture that was taken when she and Neji became ANBU, she stared at it dejectedly. As she looked at his smiling face for the ten-millionth time that week and started to feel alone all over again, she heard a knock at the door. Slowly getting up, her pink kimono brushed the almost empty tea cup and tipped it over onto the table. Merely pausing to glance at it, she walked towards the door.

As her fingers numbly twisted the knob, she pulled the door back and came face to face with Kakashi. The cold of winter pressed in at her unrelenting. Snow had taken up residence for the past two weeks and had refused to melt at all since.

When Kakashi saw her with her hair completely down and untidy, and her expressionless face, his visible eyebrow immediately knitted towards his headband and his eye gazed at her with pity. She had indeed been taking it very hard.

Taking a deep breath, he began, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but there's someone with me that's been waiting to see you for a long time."

Tenten frowned slightly as Kakashi looked sideways at something and cocked his head gently, unsure of what else to say. As he stepped away from the door, a tall man with long black hair and whitish-silver eyes came into view. His face was red with the cold and his body language told the story of his exhaustion. His expression was slightly pained, but when he saw Tenten a shadow of a grin broke over his face.

"N-Neji…" Tenten managed to say. Her mouth went suddenly dry and her throat made it hard for her to swallow.

"Tenten," he said quietly. It felt good to say her name again, but it hurt him to see her the way that she was. Her beautiful hair had not been kept, her mouth was drawn down at its corners, and she looked much thinner and paler than he remembered.

"Neji…oh my god…y-you're alive!"

Tears started pouring down her face as she threw her arms around him. As she did, she prayed that it wasn't a dream. Smiling painfully, he gasped as tears started clouding his vision too. Gently, he folded his arms around her as well, pulling her closer to him. They stood there like that for a long time, letting the moment sink in. Neji slowly bowed his head and reached a hand up, pulling back a lock of her hair. Turning his head, he kissed her cheek. Moving the same hand to her chin and lifting her head up gently, his lips met hers. After a moment, his hand slipped to the back of her neck. Their tears mingled together in wordless harmony.

Kakashi watched the two in silence. He had known for a while that there was something between Neji and Tenten, but he didn't know how deep their relationship went. Now he was beginning to understand why Tenten had gone into such a deep depression after Neji was thought to be dead. Quietly, Kakashi departed to meet Sakura and Naruto for dinner, leaving Neji and Tenten alone.

As Neji broke the kiss, he pulled her into his arms a little tighter, "I love you."

"Neji…I thought you were dead. We all thought you were dead," Tenten sobbed.

"I am so sorry. Never again. I'll never leave you like that ever again…not ever again," Neji vowed, tears still streaming down his face.

After a moment Tenten lightly backed into her home, never letting go of Neji. Being nothing else for it but to walk with her, Neji let her drag him inside. Blindly shutting the door after them, Tenten wiped the tears from her eyes and leaned back slightly. As she did, Neji looked up as well, coming eye to eye with her. She had never actually seen tears in his eyes before. He had always made an effort to hide his weaknesses from her before she could see, but now, as she stared into his handsome, tired face, she could see them falling in streams. She reached a hand up to his face, softly brushing the tears from his cheeks.

"What kind of hell did you go through to make it back to me? Forced off a cliff, endured this winter's bitter cold, left behind to die, and three months later, here you are."

Neji pulled himself together and managed to give her a weak smile, "You can't kill me that easily."

Her arms locked themselves around him as she buried her face in his shirt once again. As Tenten stood there in his embrace, Neji told her all about the battle and about how he had been injured. He told her about all the people that died and how Sasuke had blocked his retreat. He told her about falling, and about him waking up to find that Itachi had rescued him. Then about how Itachi had left and Neji had had to stay there longer to heal.

"I would have been here sooner," Neji said, "accept that by the time I could finally move freely again…everything had frozen over. I had to use the forest path rather than the trees to get back. The limbs were too slippery."

Tenten slowly lifted his shirt to reveal the scar of a stitched wound on his side. Neji frowned slightly at her as her eyebrows knitted together in sorrow at the sight of it. She gently put a hand to the healed wound and touched the scar. He reached down and covered her hand with his own.

"Its nothing," he said, watching her.

"There wasn't a day that went by that I couldn't stop thinking about you," Tenten said, shaking her head and looking up to meet his eyes.

Neji continued to watch her calmly, "That's never what I wanted. If anything ever were to happen to me, I wouldn't want you to waste away like that."

"Stop…I don't want to talk about losing you anymore…"

Neji gave a deep sigh, frowning slightly, "You know…you're what keeps me alive. You always have been…"

Tenten reached her arms back around him and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes, "I should have told you years ago. I love you so much."

Neji smiled, putting his arms back around her, "I know. And _I_ love _you_. And I'm not going anywhere…"

The dim moonlight fell on them light a spot light in the dark room as they remained in each other's embrace. Snow continued to fall like a soft white blanket on Konoha signaling a kind of frozen calm in the village.

**_Sixteen months later…_**

The sun was beating down on the treetops near Konoha and a couple walked hand-in-hand through the brush below.

"You should have seen it. He was so cute. Shikamaru scooped him right up and put him on his shoulders. Toya just stood there and tried to dance while Shikamaru held. Of course…Temari wasn't too pleased, but she got over it really quick," said the black-haired Neji as he walked with a beautiful brown-eyed Tenten.

"Sounds like they have their hands full. Just wait until he gets older."

Neji smirked imagining the little blonde-haired boy with brown eyes becoming a shinobi, "It'll be just like everyone we knew. Speaking of which…did you hear? Naruto and Hinata are getting married soon."

Tenten smiled, "Yeah, she told me. She still blushes every time she talks about it."

Neji smiled, "Maybe she won't be the only one…"

Tenten looked over to him and saw him stop. She frowned, confused. Neji suddenly kneeled down in front of her. He looked up at her, smiling nervously.

"Tenten, we've been together for a year and a half and I have loved you for so much longer than that. So, I need to ask you…will you be my wife?"

Everything around them was suddenly still. It was as if time had frozen and the entire world around them was standing still. Tenten stared at him for a moment, not really believing she had heard right, but at the same time, more happy than she had ever been in her life. A smile broke over her face.

"Yes."

Neji smiled, taking her left hand and slipping a fireburst stone ring on her finger. From a branch on a nearby tree a black-haired man with a bowl haircut smiled and turned to face a younger man with the same haircut.

"See Lee…"

Lee smiled, "Took him long enough…"

Gai ruffled Lee's hair, "Better late than never…"

The sun shown brighter and longer that day than it had all year…

* * *

Alright. Its done, finally. Hope you liked it. Until my next story…bye all!


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